I have a 9 year old as boy who is showing some sad new behaviors. (hurting himself, pets etc)To top it off I have the school saying they don't believe he is Autistic at all and trying to get him out of the program he has been in since kindergarten. He is now in the 3rd grade and doing well academically...failing emotionally. Is self inflicting behavior a normal thing for AS. I feel like I am in a whirl wind. Can anyone help me??

`mom4b,

When my son, Tanner, was in 3rd grade he became depressed and suicidal and did engage in self injurious behaviors. It was a very scarey time for our family. The folks at Tanner's school had little knowledge of AS, and, therefore were not supportive. Ultimately, I ended up homeschooling my son for the last few months of 3rd grade and then he saw an MD and began taking zoloft which alleviated his depressive symptoms.

I'm wondering if your son may be exhibiting signs and symptoms of depression. Does your son have a diagnosis of autism from sources outside the school system? It doesn't sound reasonable or ethical for the school to reject your son's diagnosis and remove him from the program he's been in.

If you'd like to share more of your son's story, I'm sure there's many wonderful folks on this forum who could help guide you through this difficult time.

Rachele,
My son in currently taking Paxil for the anxiety and depression. He was diagnosed by a MD and then confirmed by the Phiychiatris (sp) and now 4 years later they want to change his Iep to not included Autism. He was doing so much better before they started pulling back all the resource help.
Now I am so worried that he is falling hard and doesn't even no it. His new thing is to tell me when he does things that he shouldn't that he doesn't want to do them...but his brain is telling him to do them and so he can't stop. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?
I fee that I cannot leave him alone at all anymore.
mom4b

I cannot say this sounds familiar to me. But it does sound like habitual compulsive behavior. It is definitely cause for concern. Any sort of self destructive behavior is obviously serious in my opinion.

It sounds familiar to me. My son Jake is also 9, before he was diagnosed correctly, he had very violent behaviors, although not to himself, he would later cry after an episode, and ask me what was wrong with him. He did say several times that there was something inside his head that made him do it and he could not control it. Once we got an accurate diagnosis, and his doctors and myself were able to explain AS to him, and how his brain just functions "a little different", he was able to apply and accept different methods of self control. I think for Jacob, just being able to understand what the problem was helped him to deal with it, he couldn't handle just thinking he was a "bad kid", which is what school staff convinced him of. He had such terrible feelings of guilt after a violent episode that he said it would be better if he just died, that was so heartbreaking to hear my child say. I don't see how the school has any authority or qualifications to remove a medical diagnosis from his IEP. There is an organization that provides legal assistance to parents of special needs children to ensure proper education (P.A.C.E.R.) I don't know if there is service in your area, but worth a web search. Good luck, and don't stop the fight !

Trying,
Is your son only diagnosed with AS or is there an added diagnosis? I know about hearing those words..prior to the meds my son would wish he was dead. How do or where do I begin to educate myself on how to help him when he is injuring himself? I am trying to stay positive however it seems like I am starting out again at square one when I first found out 4yrs ago. My goal has and will always be to do everthing I can to help him. I just worry that if I don't know enough they will take him off his IEP. That really scares me to pieces.
mom4b

I started trying to get Jake diagnosed at age 3, they just wanted to try different drugs to see if anything helped, rather than to find the reason there was a problem, so I quit. We tried different therapist/phsycs, nothing worked until about 2 years ago he was admitted to residential care for 10 months, after all the testing and observation, he is diagnosed with AS with over lying OCD, and ADD.
What really helped Jake the most, was finally understanding WHY he feels the way he does. Once he had a name for it, and knew a little on what it was, he felt more in control of it. I have wonderded if there are boards like this one for younger children that have AS, so they can communicate. Knowing that he is not the only kid that feels like he does has helped tremendously.
As far as research, I did a yahoo search on AS, I found alot of resources and this site (which I LOVE) it helps for moms of aspies to know that they are not alone too! Try to do a search for P.A.C.E.R. I think it is Parent Assistance for Childrens Educational Rights. If there isnt one in your area, do a search on childrens educational rights (what state you are in)

Trying,
I am in GA. The school insist that he is ocd and not AS. He also has a tough time following the directions given. In a small group he can and in a large group he doesn't go to good. So of course the feel he may be ADD along with OCD. Do they have to take meds for all the different diagnosis? I know Paxil alone is no longer enough. I am doing as much research as I can. Along with my sister. I will try to look up P.A.C.E.R. too.
I am so glad my sister found this resource I was really feeling overwhelmed about all the who's, where's and why's. While I know all kids are different it's good to hear these are symtoms other kids have had too. I don't know that he could understand what AS is. I do know he feels different and it used to bother him alot. Trying to not stand out as much with the other kids. Now he is not phased by knowing the kids are seeing his behavior. That's the part that is scary.
Mom4b

Mom4b, there are books out there that will explain AS to children. I came across a few while looking up books at the library. There is also a site for AS kids and teenagers called http://www.wrongplanet.net . I'd suggest the main library - the branches don't usually don't have very good selections (I was lucky to find one book about Asperger's at the branch library today - called Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger's Syndrom"). Hope this helps, and a good day, Serenity

Mom4b,
Here is some info on a parent advocacy group in GA:
Parents Educating Parents and Professionals for All Children (PEPPAC)
http://www.peppinc.org/
Toll-Free: 1-800-322-7065

The biggest problem with my son's AS and being able to follow directions is his communication skills, you have to make sure he is looking directly at you (thats the hard part), and explain things step by step, or write it in simple terms for him to read directions as he goes.
As far as meds go, his meds were figured out over a period of time while he was in residential care for 10 months, he has been home just over a year now, and although they make small changes from time to time, I am very unhappy with the AMOUNT of meds he is on:
450mg trileptol 2x a day, 1mg tenex 2x a day,
25mg paxil 1x, 15mg zyprexa 1x, 2 1/2mg zyprexa 1x
He gets tired so easily and sleeps so much. I recently started research trying to find alternatives to the meds. I know they are helping him, but I just think it's too much, even for an adult.
Hope the info for the advocacy group is useful for you.
Serenity, thank you for the link =) My son has a little pewter coin with an angel named serernity on it that he rubs in his pocket when he is getting overwhelmed, he lost it once and went balistic, so I keep a few hidden at all times now =).

Hi! I have learned that the school must have your permission to change the IEP. Tell them No! Unless they can prove the need for a change to you. Parents have the right to a second opinion.

I believe most AS kids show some ADD, OCD, Social Skills and Sensory Issues. Alot of these kids become depresssed dealing with being "different" than their peers.

With any new behaviors I look to see what new stressors there are in his life? Aspies are stressed by change. My daughter 14 became a stressed out after she learned they were going to change her History teacher. Even something like a new pair of shoes or new jacket, stresses out my kids. Is the Paxil new? Just a possibility.

Mom4b,

Where in GA are you? There are some Autism/Asperger support groups in and around the greater Atlanta area. Also, the Autism Society of America has a chapter in GA that offers a lot of support, and you can gather lots of info from their web site. Here's the link: http://www.asaga.com/home.html

I'm in Cobb county, and have an 11 year old AS son. If you'd like to talk, feel free to email me anytime.

Debbie