New here, new to Asperger's

June 22, 2009

Hello, I am so happy I found this group. My 3 1/2 year old daughter was just

diagnosed with Asperger's. We feel so alone! We have always known she is

different, and she has always been a very challenging child. She was diagnosed

back in March with Anxiety, OCD, Selective Mutism, and a Sleep Disorder. She

also saw an OT for Sensory Processing Disorder. When we went back for our

follow-up appointment this past week, the diagnosis was changed to Asperger

Syndrome. My dh and I feel that it is an appropriate diagnosis.

Our daughter has been very challenging with her behavior. We are constantly

walking on egg shells around her, as she seems to constantly be having

meltdowns. She is very defiant, and wants to be in charge. If things don't go

her way, she explodes and takes hours to calm down. I stay home with her and my

1 year old, and I am exhausted.

Her social skills are definitely lacking. She does not have any interest

interacting with children her own age. She fights with them, or flat out tells

them she doesn't want to play. She does have a couple friends, but they are all

several years older, and she doesn't really do real interactive play with them,

more or less just follows them around and observes.

She spends most of her day outside hunting for bugs. She has no fear of spiders

or bees, and tantrums when I refuse to pick them up for her. She loves animals

of all kinds and always has from what I can remember. When she was just 15

months old and we were at a petting zoo, she went around giving all the goats

kisses! She is also very into transportation. Cars, trains, buses, cranes,

planes, etc. all really interest her.

She is a very bright child. She had a very large vocabulary early on (50+ words

at a year) and is constantly saying things that amaze us. She has an amazing

memory, she does not forget anything.

I think that pretty much sums her up. We are awaiting help. Our Early

Intervention is closed for summer break (until July 6), so we are trying to be

patient! We are having a real challenge with her right now, as she is

constantly in meltdown, and constantly crying or screaming at us. She has also

started having night terrors which makes her already challenging sleep behavior

even more difficult to deal with.

I'm looking forward to connecting with other parents dealing with this. It's so

hard having a different child...especially when other people just don't get it.

Amber

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