Asperger's versus Tourettes

[Linda645]

At the age of 5 my son was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD and Tourette Syndrome. Now that he's in his teens and was recently re-evaluated, I was told he might have been misdiagnosed and may actually have Aspergers. I'm really not sure how they can tell this after a one-hour evaluation and watching him put together Legos but, from what I'm told, 90% of children with Aspergers are experts in Legos and they actually use Legos as part of their therapy. When I questioned them, they said it is a common mistake since both disorders involve tics, etc. Has this ever happened to anyone. They said the medication is basically the same, although I only treat my son with medicine for the ADHD. The medication for the tics made him like a zombie.

[LIZARD]

Hmm...I could, of course, be wrong, but I always understood Tourette's tics to be more frequent and obvious than tics in autism (of any degree), in that autism tics are generally more intermittent and Tourette's tics tend to be almost seizure-like. Autism tics are not as random and are usually provoked by certain precedents. I guess they could be confused in some kids, depending on the severity of the Tourette's or the tics' precedents. I am severely sleep-deprived and hope I'm making sense. :o

LIZARD :)

[Keggy]

Yes I do know of others who have tics like this who have aspergers and not tourettes. I too wonder about a one hour evaluation thjough, who did this evaluation? What worries me the most is that you said the medication was the same for both. If your son has an ADD that medication is not going to help him if he has a CAP (Central Auditory Processing) disorder, which often look the same. CAP disorders are very frequent in kids on the spectrum.
If he is at least 7 they should be able to do an extensive CAP evaluation on him. This is done at an audiologists office (like in a big hospital) and should include the ABR portion, which most office bound audiologists can not perform.

[Linda645]

The person who evaluated him is very well known in the area for treating children with Aspergers. He was being treated by a pediatric neurologist since he was 5. He's 14 now and since he has some what matured, his rages (or meltdowns) have subsided tremendously but now I have to deal with inappropriate/immature social skills and impulse control. I just recently had a stroke from an aneurysm so I am dealing with my own difficulties and deficits. His father wants no part of his treatment because he cant accept there is anything wrong with him.. If he acknowledges something is wrong, its like admitting a defect within himself and there is no room for defects in his size ego

[LIZARD]

I just recently had a stroke from an aneurysm so I am dealing with my own difficulties and deficits. His father wants no part of his treatment because he cant accept there is anything wrong with him.. If he acknowledges something is wrong, its like admitting a defect within himself and there is no room for defects in his size ego

UGH...(((((((((((((Linda)))))))))))). :(

Isn't that always the way?? I thank God kicking my husband black and blue knocked some sense into him, but I can't imagine, even with my own issues (in siggy), what this is like for you. :(

Please consider coming to the autism forum here. It's much more active, and maybe someone can help.


*hug


LIZARD :)

[jbrules1]

Hi
My son is dx with ASD/Aspie and Tourettes. It wasnt untill he was on meds for ADHD which was his first DX with others that he developed Tourettes. It took us years to get the right DX for him. we new he was ASD spectrum as I have an older son Autistic with a intellectual disability, but the school system didnt want to DX him with that as he would need funding. so those who read this NEVER go through the school system to get a DX. you may have to pay but its worth every penny in the long run.

[cckids]

The whole Tourette's dx as a kid is wierd. My oldest was dx with Tourettes when his tics were really bad-- which last about 18 months and it was really bad. HE was doing all this vocal grunting and throat clearing, neck jerking, finger rubbing and with treating and manageing his anxiety it has been much better. It's hard because the Asperger's or ASD labels kinda group it all up together which is nice. It explains the anxiety levels with social stuff which inceases the tics and his other little quirks... but through all the labels we've seen with him... What has it helped? None. labels do very little. How can I best explain my son to his new teacher.... He has issues with realtionships, pragmatic speech, social situations, anxiety, and flares of tics and anger. He is obsessed with animals and stringed instruments. His mood is irregular-- he can get really hyper and excitable for 2-3 weeks at a time then get pretty blue. It's really seasonal and sometimes flares up by dietary changes. That's my son... call him D.

[halsgluten]

At the age of 5 my son was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD and Tourette Syndrome. Now that he's in his teens and was recently re-evaluated, I was told he might have been misdiagnosed and may actually have Aspergers.
Regarding multiple labels with a different label applied a decade later....Little is still presently known about the underlying physicality, much less was known 10 years ago, imagine how little was known when these labels were first created. (and kids change as the grow, eh?)

Recently I’ve begun wondering if treating ADHD, OCD, Tourette Syndrome, Asperger’s, PDD, etc, (even schizophrenia) as separate labels is like thinking of different breeds of, say, dogs as different species.

There are so many overlapping signs, symptoms, and physiologies, there are so many over-lapping causes, and the diagnostic distinctions between the labels are so blurred, I think one should be careful not to keep too much faith in any given label, temping as it may be to do so.

So, I wonder if now Asperger’s might be becoming a more comprehensive label, at least in practice.


Hal


Albrecht’s Law: “Intelligent people, when assembled into an organization, will tend toward collective stupidity.” “The Power of Minds at Work”, Karl Albrecht

[jbrules1]

My son has had major tics for a few years now. he can be murder to sit next to bless him. all these DX'sssssssssss woops stuttering seem to over lap one another. Jan

[AspieT1DMom]

Hi,

I am new here. My 11 year old was DX with AS and GAD at 6......started on Prozac for the OCD and perseverative features. He does not tic. I know when he was DX he was off the charts for ADD/ADHD but the psych was sure, seeing Max, that those DX did not fit as well as AS. I would agree with the other posters the meds for AS/ADD/Tourettes are not all the same. I hope you get some specifics.

As for your Dad, we have a lot of that kind of "support" here as well. I think for some reason people think it is helpful to tell you that they look "normal" to them. I hate the stories that relatives tell me about all the things they "outgrew." If you live with one of these kiddos you know.

Good Luck, I hope you get some answers soon.

Lieschan