Diagnosing Aspergers in toddler?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I am new to this group. My son who is going to be 3 in the fall was recently dx

with sensory processing disorder, and I have suspicions about mild Asperger's as

well (though he has not been dx with AS at this point). We recently had a

meeting with the early intervention services, and the child psychologist said

that although she would not be surprised if my son was dx with AS at some point

in the future, she did not feel comfortable making that dx now. The concerns I

have that make me wonder about AS, other than the sensory issues, include lining

things up, hyperlexia, rigid thinking, difficulty with transitions, quick to

melt down, odd phrasing (which his OT said sounded atypical for his age, but

typical for AS), obsessions with trains, and much better social interactions

with adults than peers. He is very, very bright (can spell and read some words

and do simple math in his head), and the psychologist from early intervention

plans to do some cognitive and IQ testing later this week. She did not, however,

do any formal diagnostic testing for AS, such as the ADOS test. Her reasoning

for not wanting to give a dx of AS at this time was that my son's interactions

with adults are so strong and that he has obsessions, but can be distracted from

them with some effort. She also wondered if some of his social issues with peers

stem from being very bright, although I know that being gifted and having AS are

not mutually exclusive.

What I was wondering is if this sounds like any of your kids at this age? The

psychologist did recommend that we continue to pursue evaluation with our local

TEACCH center (have sent in a questionnaire, but it takes months to be seen), so

she is not saying that my son does not have AS, just that she is not sure enough

to dx. My son starts his first preschool in the fall, so it is important to me

to have a more clear picture of his needs before throwing him into a room full

of toddlers to sink or swim.

I would greatly appreciate input from other parents who have been through this

process already!

Thanks,

Bridget