Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

[Guest guest]

Does he have other Aspergian traits in addition to the social anxiety?

Steph

>

> Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

>

[Guest guest]

I guess i am trying to differentiate the traits. He as issues with reading

social cues always did, he is clumsy, worried about embarrassing himself in

front of people, worried about being viewed as inferior social class wise, wont

initiate a conversation or a invite to a friend they have to initiate or invite

him he has had some friends in the past but very few was always like a 50 year

old in a kids body, always very mature never childlike. Goes on and on about his

specific interests, science, computers, astronomy but alot of that goes along

wit OCD as well as social anxiety so I guess my question is what is the

difference between aspergian traits and social anxiety traits

> >

> > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

You might look into nonverbal learning disorder as well as these kids are often

riddled with anxiety.

Bonnie

> > >

> > > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I will look into that. He hasnt had any trouble learning though if that is what

nonverbal is about? I will look it up

> > > >

> > > > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I looked some info up on NV learning disorder although some traits he has again

some he doesnt. He is basically a B student that his teachers say is a A

student but doesnt apply himself due to anxieties and can navigate maps tell you

were all the planets are located he is a plethera of info basically from

researching off the internet I think I am just going to talk to his OCD

Therapist and see what she thinks right now she is working with him on

socailization skills

> > > >

> > > > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

The nonverbal refers to reading social communication (which comprises over 60%

of all communicayion) - the deficit affects their ability to relate socially.

There is overlap with Aspergers with some differences Learning disorders can be

common, but they vary and often show up in middle school. Check out nldonline.

Bonnie

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Actually, my 8yr old is diagnosed with both Asperger's and NVLD.  No matter how

much reading I do, I still can't figure out the difference between the two..

Seems like the same disorder to me.  From what I have gathered over the years,

NVLD kids tend to not have as much in the way of hyperfocus interests and they

also may have more trouble with math and be better auditory learners.  Does

that sound accurate?

 

Misty

>To:

>Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 4:17 PM

>Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

>

>

> 

>No, those symptoms correspond to both NLD and AS..

>

>AS and NLD are generally thought to describe pretty much the same kind of

disorder, but to differ in severity—with AS describing more severe symptoms.

>

>If you're interested..http://www.nldontheweb.org/home.html

>

>Bonnie

>

>

>>

>> You have described a child with Asperger's as far as I'm concerned.  The

social issues along with the obesssions, clumsy awkwardness, brilliant with his

hyper-focus interest.  This is my 10yr old daughter with Asperger's.  She

cannot talk to people, can't initiate conversations, doesn't do well with

friendships.. But she is brilliant (IQ in the 140's) and does fine with

academics.  She is obsessed with one or two things and she used to have OCD

and anxiety, but that has lessened after treatment.  She used to have

intrusive thoughts and compulsions, etc.. Now she just has social anxiety and

Asperger's obsessions. 

>>  

>> Have you seen the movie Adam?  He has Asperger's and is obsessed with

space.  Another good movie to watch is Mozart and the Whale.  He is

obsessed with numbers in this movie.  An Aspie can have any obsession

though... a certain animal, a color, World War II, a video game, or even another

human being.  My 8yr old only played with dinosaurs from the time she was two

years old.  I swear, we own every dinosaur this side of extinction.  She

is 8 now and STILL plays with them every day and barely anything else.  She

is also obsessed with frogs, lizards, and turtles.  And Aspies don't HAVE to

have an obsession to receive a diagnosis.  They can instead have

repetitive movements such as hand-flapping, rubbing hands together, tapping

things, spinning, etc.  My 8yr old has both - obsessions (dinosaurs) and

repetitive movements.  All Aspies are different though.  I have 3 Aspies

in my house and they are nothing like each

other.  One of them (8yr old)

>> can talk easily to people, but can't make friends to save her life.. She

cannot go to malls because the manequins, the crowds, and the noise make her

have panic attacks.  My 13yr old Aspie loves the malls.  My 8yr old is

VERY literal so it's hard to say anything around her without her getting

confused.  But her speech is perfect.  She was an early talker and speaks

perfectly and clearly.  It's the pragmatic language she has difficulty with

as well as the literal interpretation of everything she hears.  She thinks in

pictures and her brain acts like a google image search.  My 13yr old thinks

in words and is like a walking encyclopedia.  She can spell anything and

remembers most things she has read.  Her vocabulary is huge.  They are

complete opposites but they both have Asperger's.

>>  

>>  My 13yr old seems very normal, but she is obsessed with reading and

writing and computer games.. She is extremely disorganized, forgetful, awkward,

obsessive, and brilliantly creative and gifted.  She began reading at the age

of 3 and now at the age of 13 she speaks like a 35 yr old and is extremely

funny and outgoing around her friends (yes, she has friends!  Girl aspies do

better with friendships sometimes).  But she does not do social chit chat at

all.. She will just start talking and she doesn't shut up.. She never asks " how

was your weekend? " or " Did you like that movie? " or " are you hungry? "  or

anything even remotely close.. she just talks and talks and talks about her

latest hyperfocus interest (usually a book she is writing or some imaginary

world she has created or a book series she is reading) and she uses big words

that the other kids don't understand.  She reads NON-STOP.  This is her

hyperfocus interest and is

a common one for

>> Aspies.  But she seems normal when you meet her.  You wouldn't think

anything different about her until you actually live with her or try to teach

her in the classroom or try to have a friendship with her.  She is so

hyperfocused on her interests that she can't think to stop and focus on anything

else such as school assignments, cleaning up after herself, or even personal

hygeine.  I have to force her into the shower every day.  I still have to

remind her to brush her teeth everyday.  And she will be 14 this summer!! 

>>  

>> My 10yr old Aspie can't even make eye contact, much less talk to people. 

She has significant social issues, but is brilliant and a very precise

child.  She is very rigid and doesn't like to deviate from what she

is used to.  She keeps her bedroom clean and when she does chores, she

does them well.  This is the complete opposite of my 13yr old who is

extremely messy, disorganized, careless, and does chores poorly.  Again,

complete opposities, but both Aspies.  My 10yr old is a lot like Sheldon on

The Big Bang Theory.  He is said to have Asperger's (his character on the

show).  And as long as we're talking about tv.. Parenthood has a character

with Asperger's and this show does a beautiful job of portraying a kid

with Asperger's.. The producer of the show has a child with Asperger's, I think

I read somewhere.

>>  

>> Anyway, hope that gives you a better picture of what Asperger's is (or can

be) like.  I think, from what you described about your son, that he

definitely has some signs.  It's hard to tease out what is OCD and what is

Asperger's.  Our psychologist took all weekend to ponder what was OCD and

what was Asperger's obsessions and repetitive movements in my 8yr old before

diagnosing her with both. 

>>  

>> Misty

>>

>>  

>> Our list archives feature may be accessed at: 

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// by scrolling down to the

archives calendar .  Our links may be accessed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//links .  Our files may

be accessed at

>> >http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//files .

>> >Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D.(http://www.ocdawareness.com ),

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.( http://www.worrywisekids.org ), and Dan Geller, M.D. (

http://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?ID=18068 ). You may ask a

question of any of these mental health professionals by inserting the words " Ask

Dr.(insert name) " in the subject line of a post to the list.  Our list

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treatment providers list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.info/treatment-providers-list.php .

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>>

>http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp?APPLICATION_NAME=drugport\

al .  IOCDF recommended reading list may be accessed at

http://www.ocfoundation.org/Books.aspx .  IOCDF glossary of terms may be

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[Guest guest]

I would agree that there cannot be social anxiety in an individual with autism..

But I would have to disagree with his conclusion to exclude Asperger's from

having social anxiety.  Asperger's is a high anxiety disorder and does not

discriminate on the situation.  Social anxiety is definitely there for many. 

People with Asperger's want to have friends and relationships, they are just

clueless on how to do this appropriately.. the steady incursion of social

rejection throughout childhood is what creates the anxiety and fuels it into

adulthood.  MANY people with AS have fairly predominant social anxiety by the

time they are adults.  Of course this depends on the Aspie.  Some will never

develop social anxiety, while others are crippled by it. 

 

People with high-functioning autism, on the other hand, do not care for

friendships and therefore would not develop social anxiety as someone with

Asperger's would.  This is one of the main differences between Asperger's and

high-functioning autism.  The other difference being acquired speech as a young

child (there is generally no speech delay with Asperger's).

 

Misty

>To:

>Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:58 AM

>Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

>

>

> 

>That sounds right - here i smore information...

>http://hubpages.com/hub/Aspergers-VS-Nonverbal-Learning-Disorder-Similarities-a\

nd-Differences

>

>Bonnie

>

>PS Our psychiatrist wrote a book on social anxiety and he excludes autism and

AS from those who suffer social anxiey because of the agnormal perceptual

processes that are neurologically based in those with autism versus those

processes involved in faulty emotional reasoning. Hope that made sense.

>

>

>> >>

>> >> You have described a child with Asperger's as far as I'm

concerned.  The social issues along with the obesssions, clumsy

awkwardness, brilliant with his hyper-focus interest.  This is my 10yr

old daughter with Asperger's.  She cannot talk to people, can't initiate

conversations, doesn't do well with friendships.. But she is brilliant (IQ in

the 140's) and does fine with academics.  She is obsessed with one or

two things and she used to have OCD and anxiety, but that has lessened after

treatment.  She used to have intrusive thoughts and compulsions, etc..

Now she just has social anxiety and Asperger's obsessions. 

>> >>  

>> >> Have you seen the movie Adam?  He has Asperger's and is obsessed

with space.  Another good movie to watch is Mozart and the

Whale.  He is obsessed with numbers in this movie.  An Aspie can

have any obsession though... a certain animal, a color, World War II, a video

game, or even another human being.  My 8yr old only played with

dinosaurs from the time she was two years old.  I swear, we own every

dinosaur this side of extinction.  She is 8 now and STILL plays with

them every day and barely anything else.  She is also obsessed with

frogs, lizards, and turtles.  And Aspies don't HAVE to have an obsession

to receive a diagnosis.  They can instead have repetitive

movements such as hand-flapping, rubbing hands together, tapping things,

spinning, etc.  My 8yr old has both - obsessions (dinosaurs) and

repetitive movements.  All Aspies are different

though.  I have 3 Aspies in my house and they are nothing like each

>> other.  One of them (8yr old)

>> >> can talk easily to people, but can't make friends to save her life.. She

cannot go to malls because the manequins, the crowds, and the noise make her

have panic attacks.  My 13yr old Aspie loves the malls.  My 8yr

old is VERY literal so it's hard to say anything around her without her getting

confused.  But her speech is perfect.  She was an early talker

and speaks perfectly and clearly.  It's the pragmatic language she has

difficulty with as well as the literal interpretation of everything she

hears.  She thinks in pictures and her brain acts like a google image

search.  My 13yr old thinks in words and is like a walking

encyclopedia.  She can spell anything and remembers most things she has

read.  Her vocabulary is huge.  They are complete opposites but

they both have Asperger's.

>> >>  

>> >>  My 13yr old seems very normal, but she is obsessed with reading

and writing and computer games.. She is extremely disorganized, forgetful,

awkward, obsessive, and brilliantly creative and gifted.  She began

reading at the age of 3 and now at the age of 13 she speaks like a 35 yr

old and is extremely funny and outgoing around her friends (yes, she has

friends!  Girl aspies do better with friendships sometimes). 

But she does not do social chit chat at all.. She will just start talking and

she doesn't shut up.. She never asks " how was your weekend? " or " Did

you like that movie? " or " are you hungry? "  or anything even

remotely close.. she just talks and talks and talks about her latest hyperfocus

interest (usually a book she is writing or some imaginary world she has created

or a book series she is reading) and she uses big words that the other kids

don't understand.  She reads

NON-STOP.  This is her hyperfocus interest and is

>> a common one for

>> >> Aspies.  But she seems normal when you meet her.  You

wouldn't think anything different about her until you actually live with her or

try to teach her in the classroom or try to have a friendship with her. 

She is so hyperfocused on her interests that she can't think to stop and focus

on anything else such as school assignments, cleaning up after herself, or even

personal hygeine.  I have to force her into the shower every

day.  I still have to remind her to brush her teeth everyday. 

And she will be 14 this summer!! 

>> >>  

>> >> My 10yr old Aspie can't even make eye contact, much less talk to

people.  She has significant social issues, but is brilliant and a very

precise child.  She is very rigid and doesn't like to deviate from what

she is used to.  She keeps her bedroom clean and when she does

chores, she does them well.  This is the complete opposite of my 13yr

old who is extremely messy, disorganized, careless, and does chores

poorly.  Again, complete opposities, but both Aspies.  My 10yr

old is a lot like Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.  He is said to have

Asperger's (his character on the show).  And as long as we're talking

about tv.. Parenthood has a character with Asperger's and this

show does a beautiful job of portraying a kid with Asperger's.. The

producer of the show has a child with Asperger's, I think I read somewhere.

>> >>  

>> >> Anyway, hope that gives you a better picture of what Asperger's is (or can

be) like.  I think, from what you described about your son, that he

definitely has some signs.  It's hard to tease out what is OCD and what

is Asperger's.  Our psychologist took all weekend to ponder what was OCD

and what was Asperger's obsessions and repetitive movements in my 8yr

old before diagnosing her with both. 

>> >>  

>> >> Misty

>> >>

>> >>  

>> >> Our list archives feature may be accessed at: 

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// by scrolling down to the

archives calendar .  Our links may be accessed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//links .  Our files

may be accessed at

>> >> >http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//files .

>> >> >Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D.(http://www.ocdawareness.com ),

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.( http://www.worrywisekids.org ), and Dan Geller, M.D. (

http://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?ID=18068 ). You may ask a

question of any of these mental health professionals by inserting the words " Ask

Dr.(insert name) " in the subject line of a post to the list.  Our list

moderators are Castle, BJ, Barb Nesrallah, and Stormy.  You may

contact the moderators at -owner . 

OCDKidsLoop membership may be accessed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdkidsloop/ .  Our group and

related groups are listed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdsupportgroups/links .  IOCDF

treatment providers list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.info/treatment-providers-list.php .

>> >> >NLM-NIH Drug Information Portal may be viewed at

>> >>

>http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp?APPLICATION_NAME=drugport\

al .  IOCDF recommended reading list may be accessed at

http://www.ocfoundation.org/Books.aspx .  IOCDF glossary of terms may be

accessed at http://www.ocfoundation.org/glossary.aspx .  IOCDF

membership link may be accessed at http://www.ocfoundation.net/membership/ .

Drugs.com pill identification wizard may be accessed at

http://www.drugs.com/imprints.php .  Mayo Clinic Drug and Herb Index may

be accessed at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DrugHerbIndex .

>> >> >

>> >> >Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe

• Terms of Use

>> >> >.

>> >> >

>> >> >

>> >> >

>> >> >

>> >>

>> >>

[Guest guest]

My 8 yo dd definately has social anxiety.  She does not have aspergers, or

OCD.  We have always considered her " shy " , but it is always selective.  Since

she was very small, the first time she meets someone, she decides if she will

let them in or not.  I have several friends that she has known most of her

life, but will not talk to them.  Then I have other friends that she will chat

their ear off.  She didnt say more than a small handful of words to her

kindergarten teacher.  But was very chatty with her first grade teacher.  Her

second grade teacher, she was back to not talking to.  She will talk to my mom,

but not my MIL.  She comes off as rude, she will not talk to a certain person,

wont make eye contact, wont even acknowledge they are there.  Some people have

fun with her, and try to get her to at least smile - she usually does, but still

wont talk to them.  The teacher she had in 1st grade that worked out so well is

switching to 3rd grade

this school year (grade my dd will be in), so we are hoping she gets that

teacher again.  She is the same way with kids.  She talks to very few kids in

her class each year.  Her small group of friends is mainly special ed kids (I

think because they are less threatening to her) or other VERY quiet kids.  That

is fine,she is happy with her little circle.  All the other kids always like

her, so that is good. 

Sharon

To:

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:46 PM

Subject: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and Aspergers?

my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social anxiety. How

can you tell the difference?

[Guest guest]

LOL, Misty, I'll have to disagree with the HFA part. is HFA per the

evaluators, but they put HFA/Aspergers on the final report, since for them the

language problem before age 3 is the only difference. They said with it

was there before age 3, I disagreed...so compromise. When they said HFA, she

had to remind me that even with HFA there is that " long spectrum " and it depends

where they fall, there is " lower HFA " and then on up the line higher....

Probably didn't put that the best way, hope it makes sense. I knew others with

HFA and was not so affected as them, so made sense when she explained it

that way to me. Guess once they change the DSM it won't apply anyway!

>>  

> People with high-functioning autism, on the other hand, do not care for

friendships and therefore would not develop social anxiety as someone with

Asperger's would.  This is one of the main differences between Asperger's and

high-functioning autism.  The other difference being acquired speech as a young

child (there is generally no speech delay with Asperger's).

>  

> Misty

>

[Guest guest]

Yeah, none of this will matter in two years.. FWIW, I had speech delay and I

consider myself to be Aspie and not HFA.  I fit both diagnoses depending on

how you look at me so I imagine I would probably end up with a PDD-NOS

diagnosis if I went in to be evaluated.  But since all my girls have Asperger's

diagnoses, I guess it's safe to say I do too.. but none of my girls had speech

delay like I did.  It's all such a gray area.. I'm glad they are changing the

DSM, but I hate to see the Aspie diagnosis go at the same time.

 

Misty

>To:

>Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 5:38 PM

>Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

>

>

> 

>LOL, Misty, I'll have to disagree with the HFA part. is HFA per the

evaluators, but they put HFA/Aspergers on the final report, since for them the

language problem before age 3 is the only difference. They said with it

was there before age 3, I disagreed...so compromise. When they said HFA, she had

to remind me that even with HFA there is that " long spectrum " and it depends

where they fall, there is " lower HFA " and then on up the line higher....

Probably didn't put that the best way, hope it makes sense. I knew others with

HFA and was not so affected as them, so made sense when she explained it

that way to me. Guess once they change the DSM it won't apply anyway!

>

>

>

>

>>>  

>> People with high-functioning autism, on the other hand, do not care for

friendships and therefore would not develop social anxiety as someone with

Asperger's would.  This is one of the main differences between Asperger's and

high-functioning autism.  The other difference being acquired speech as a

young child (there is generally no speech delay with Asperger's).

>>  

>> Misty

>>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yeah, none of this will matter in two years.. FWIW, I had speech delay and I

consider myself to be Aspie and not HFA.  I fit both diagnoses depending on

how you look at me so I imagine I would probably end up with a PDD-NOS

diagnosis if I went in to be evaluated.  But since all my girls have Asperger's

diagnoses, I guess it's safe to say I do too.. but none of my girls had speech

delay like I did.  It's all such a gray area.. I'm glad they are changing the

DSM, but I hate to see the Aspie diagnosis go at the same time.

 

Misty

>To:

>Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 5:38 PM

>Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

>

>

> 

>LOL, Misty, I'll have to disagree with the HFA part. is HFA per the

evaluators, but they put HFA/Aspergers on the final report, since for them the

language problem before age 3 is the only difference. They said with it

was there before age 3, I disagreed...so compromise. When they said HFA, she had

to remind me that even with HFA there is that " long spectrum " and it depends

where they fall, there is " lower HFA " and then on up the line higher....

Probably didn't put that the best way, hope it makes sense. I knew others with

HFA and was not so affected as them, so made sense when she explained it

that way to me. Guess once they change the DSM it won't apply anyway!

>

>

>

>

>>>  

>> People with high-functioning autism, on the other hand, do not care for

friendships and therefore would not develop social anxiety as someone with

Asperger's would.  This is one of the main differences between Asperger's and

high-functioning autism.  The other difference being acquired speech as a

young child (there is generally no speech delay with Asperger's).

>>  

>> Misty

>>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My 8 yo dd definately has social anxiety.  She does not have aspergers, or

OCD.  We have always considered her " shy " , but it is always selective.  Since

she was very small, the first time she meets someone, she decides if she will

let them in or not.  I have several friends that she has known most of her

life, but will not talk to them.  Then I have other friends that she will chat

their ear off.  She didnt say more than a small handful of words to her

kindergarten teacher.  But was very chatty with her first grade teacher.  Her

second grade teacher, she was back to not talking to.  She will talk to my mom,

but not my MIL.  She comes off as rude, she will not talk to a certain person,

wont make eye contact, wont even acknowledge they are there.  Some people have

fun with her, and try to get her to at least smile - she usually does, but still

wont talk to them.  The teacher she had in 1st grade that worked out so well is

switching to 3rd grade

this school year (grade my dd will be in), so we are hoping she gets that

teacher again.  She is the same way with kids.  She talks to very few kids in

her class each year.  Her small group of friends is mainly special ed kids (I

think because they are less threatening to her) or other VERY quiet kids.  That

is fine,she is happy with her little circle.  All the other kids always like

her, so that is good. 

Sharon

To:

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:46 PM

Subject: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and Aspergers?

my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social anxiety. How

can you tell the difference?

[Guest guest]

I have a daughter that is now 14, that has been having problems since she was

born( no joke) She has been diagnosed with everything from bipolar disorder to

anxiety disorder, to PDD-NOS,and has been on dozens of meds, has gone to dozens

of different evaluations and therapies, hospitalizations, etc. She sounds

similar to Sharon's daughter. I have found that as she has gotten older , her

behavior issues and ocd have gotten better, but is still there, but the main

thing is her anxiety is still there and severe social anxiety at different

times. There are times she will talk to anyone and seem appropriate and other

times that she will not talk , even to grandparents, etc, and it is very

inappropriate. I can bring her to a party with strangers one day and she can

talk to anyone , than bring her to the same party with the same people the

following week and she will not talk or make eye contact.Sometimes she has tons

of friends and at other itmes she has none

because the kids see her as thinking she is stuck up or  too good for them,

when really she is just a nervous wreck. I have toyed with the idea of her

having aspergers for many years, and she has been diagnosed by several with the

PDD-NOS, yet other docs disagree and say anxiety.

I'm to the point that I feel even the experts don't know. I guess at some point

you just except the diagnosis, but my question is which one do you except? I

have noticed if I bring her to a doc that specialized in ocd, she has ocd, If I

bring her to a doc that specializes in autism, she has autism.

Just my 2 cents

Judy

Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

To: " " < >

Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 10:26 AM

 

My 8 yo dd definately has social anxiety.  She does not have aspergers, or

OCD.  We have always considered her " shy " , but it is always selective.  Since

she was very small, the first time she meets someone, she decides if she will

let them in or not.  I have several friends that she has known most of her

life, but will not talk to them.  Then I have other friends that she will chat

their ear off.  She didnt say more than a small handful of words to her

kindergarten teacher.  But was very chatty with her first grade teacher.  Her

second grade teacher, she was back to not talking to.  She will talk to my mom,

but not my MIL.  She comes off as rude, she will not talk to a certain person,

wont make eye contact, wont even acknowledge they are there.  Some people have

fun with her, and try to get her to at least smile - she usually does, but still

wont talk to them.  The teacher she had in 1st grade that worked out so well is

switching to 3rd grade

this school year (grade my dd will be in), so we are hoping she gets that

teacher again.  She is the same way with kids.  She talks to very few kids in

her class each year.  Her small group of friends is mainly special ed kids (I

think because they are less threatening to her) or other VERY quiet kids.  That

is fine,she is happy with her little circle.  All the other kids always like

her, so that is good. 

Sharon

To:

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:46 PM

Subject: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and Aspergers?

my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social anxiety. How

can you tell the difference?

[Guest guest]

> I have noticed if I bring her to a doc that

>specialized in ocd, she has ocd, If I bring her to a doc that

>specializes in autism, she has autism.

I have found that to be true with so many specialists, no matter what

the topic. After going through a string of therapists and specialists

with both of my kids, I've become convinced that you can get pretty much

any diagnosis. They always try to shove you into the category that they

work with and focus on, whether it makes sense or not. For some you can

even tell what it will be on the very first meeting, before they have

even evaluated the child.

What helped me with my daughter is to start with someone who doesn't

have a narrow specialty. However, finding someone general enough can be

hard. They still have their preferred therapies and that tends to

narrow the scope of issues that they see and understand. Others I know

have had luck going to a place where there is a team of different

specialists who work together on a diagnosis.

The mental health field seems to be more of an art than a science.

There isn't the nice collection of blood tests, x-rays, and other test

like medicine has. And therapies aren't as cut and dried either.

[Guest guest]

I would say, does it really matter what the diagnosis is?  I would find a doc

that can help, reguardless of the diagnosis.

Sharon

To:

Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 3:02 PM

Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

I have a daughter that is now 14, that has been having problems since she was

born( no joke) She has been diagnosed with everything from bipolar disorder to

anxiety disorder, to PDD-NOS,and has been on dozens of meds, has gone to dozens

of different evaluations and therapies, hospitalizations, etc. She sounds

similar to Sharon's daughter. I have found that as she has gotten older , her

behavior issues and ocd have gotten better, but is still there, but the main

thing is her anxiety is still there and severe social anxiety at different

times. There are times she will talk to anyone and seem appropriate and other

times that she will not talk , even to grandparents, etc, and it is very

inappropriate. I can bring her to a party with strangers one day and she can

talk to anyone , than bring her to the same party with the same people the

following week and she will not talk or make eye contact.Sometimes she has tons

of friends and at other itmes she has none

because the kids see her as thinking she is stuck up or  too good for them,

when really she is just a nervous wreck. I have toyed with the idea of her

having aspergers for many years, and she has been diagnosed by several with the

PDD-NOS, yet other docs disagree and say anxiety.

I'm to the point that I feel even the experts don't know. I guess at some point

you just except the diagnosis, but my question is which one do you except? I

have noticed if I bring her to a doc that specialized in ocd, she has ocd, If I

bring her to a doc that specializes in autism, she has autism.

Just my 2 cents

Judy

Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

To: " " < >

Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 10:26 AM

 

My 8 yo dd definately has social anxiety.  She does not have aspergers, or

OCD.  We have always considered her " shy " , but it is always selective.  Since

she was very small, the first time she meets someone, she decides if she will

let them in or not.  I have several friends that she has known most of her

life, but will not talk to them.  Then I have other friends that she will chat

their ear off.  She didnt say more than a small handful of words to her

kindergarten teacher.  But was very chatty with her first grade teacher.  Her

second grade teacher, she was back to not talking to.  She will talk to my mom,

but not my MIL.  She comes off as rude, she will not talk to a certain person,

wont make eye contact, wont even acknowledge they are there.  Some people have

fun with her, and try to get her to at least smile - she usually does, but still

wont talk to them.  The teacher she had in 1st grade that worked out so well is

switching to 3rd grade

this school year (grade my dd will be in), so we are hoping she gets that

teacher again.  She is the same way with kids.  She talks to very few kids in

her class each year.  Her small group of friends is mainly special ed kids (I

think because they are less threatening to her) or other VERY quiet kids.  That

is fine,she is happy with her little circle.  All the other kids always like

her, so that is good. 

Sharon

To:

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:46 PM

Subject: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and Aspergers?

my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social anxiety. How

can you tell the difference?

[Guest guest]

Hi Sharon,

That is the problem ,The doctors and therapists needs the correct diagnosis to

help.

 I have taken her everywhere, including doctors in 3 other states. They all

come up with a different combination of diagnosis's

Judy

..

Subject: Re: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

To: " " < >

Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 10:26 AM

 

My 8 yo dd definately has social anxiety.  She does not have aspergers, or

OCD.  We have always considered her " shy " , but it is always selective.  Since

she was very small, the first time she meets someone, she decides if she will

let them in or not.  I have several friends that she has known most of her

life, but will not talk to them.  Then I have other friends that she will chat

their ear off.  She didnt say more than a small handful of words to her

kindergarten teacher.  But was very chatty with her first grade teacher.  Her

second grade teacher, she was back to not talking to.  She will talk to my mom,

but not my MIL.  She comes off as rude, she will not talk to a certain person,

wont make eye contact, wont even acknowledge they are there.  Some people have

fun with her, and try to get her to at least smile - she usually does, but still

wont talk to them.  The teacher she had in 1st grade that worked out so well is

switching to 3rd grade

this school year (grade my dd will be in), so we are hoping she gets that

teacher again.  She is the same way with kids.  She talks to very few kids in

her class each year.  Her small group of friends is mainly special ed kids (I

think because they are less threatening to her) or other VERY quiet kids.  That

is fine,she is happy with her little circle.  All the other kids always like

her, so that is good. 

Sharon

To:

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 7:46 PM

Subject: Aspergers VS social anxiey symptoms

 

Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and Aspergers?

my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social anxiety. How

can you tell the difference?

[Guest guest]

Kids who are younger often do not have any learning issues even if they have a

nonverbal learning disorder (NLD). NLD refers to difficulty with all or many

(symptoms vary in severity) things nonverbal. My son was always an A/B student.

As they get older and concepts begin to become more abstract and the school

environment is laden with more transitions daily (class to class), they

experience academic difficulties. The earlier trouble with academic learning,

may indicate a more severe form of the disorder. One thing that might clue you

in even though he's getting good grades is a WISC eval or the Woodcock

testing - it will show scatter in the results of subsets - such that he may read

on a much higher level than his comprehension suggests. There is nothing to be

done academically at this point if he is successful, but if you begin to have

problems (as we are in middle school), it's something to reconsider.

As someone mentioned, if you go to an expert in anxiety, they will separate that

anxiety out from other developmental issues and call the anxiety the primary

diagnosis. However, I really think that the treatment implications for those

kids whose issues are primarily developmental in nature (anxiety is a part of

their developmental disorder) are extemely important. For instance, if my son

has sensory issues, poor nonverbal cognition and understanding, poor executive

function, ect....how will he do with social phobia treated with ERP the

conventional way - especially if he doesn't have social skills training first

and if he has a hard time following directions and generalizing information?

One thing that I read over and over about a nonverbal learning disorder (which

can also be present in those with Aspergers) is that finding the right

environment (school/home/recreation) is the most important thing you can ever do

for your child each day. The right environment would be a predictable, routine

environment without too many challenges (noise, new faces, busy and crowded

places)or transitions, and even days without too many different caregivers.

Ask, how many novel or out of routine situations does your child face in one

day? My son has a limit on the amount " environmental stressors " he can take in

a day before he has a panic attack, and too many days of that stress can lead to

school refusal, agoraphobia, ect... He is stable emotionally right now, but he

will still have panic attacks when he is pushed too hard. Last week we took him

to the crowded beach in the morning and then to a busy restaurant for dinner and

he really struggled. The object of therapy for him then would be how to make

the unpredictable, less so and how to committ to memory that a similar nonverbal

experience doen't have to evoke anxiety. A tall order if not a lifetime

committment!

Bonnie

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi all, can anyone tell me the differences between Social anxiety and

Aspergers? my son is having Aspergers traits but also it may just be social

anxiety. How can you tell the difference?

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

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