Answer - Hi Kimberly, I'm glad to hear you are on the right track by seriously looking at the possibility. You are miles ahead of most parents who sometimes stay stuck in denial for years. Aspergers Syndrome is a part of the autism spectrum that is associated with higher functioning, earlier reading, comprehension, understanding etc. Since your child is only 20 months old, I would focus more on getting a doctor who specializes in autism diagnosis to evaluate him/her as soon as possible. Your present pediatrician will most likely know where to send you however if you call your local Autism Society, they certainly will have the best leads. Remember throughout this that you are way ahead of the game by getting the proper interventions when your child needs them the most....now.

Answer - Good question. I had Jonny tested and made sure I worked with someone who was sensitive to and understood autism. We worked around the time constraints and got a more accurate picture of what level he was functioning. There is a lot that needs to be changed in the world of psychological testing due to the nature of the beast. For now, though, working around it ensuring you have someone knowledgable around autism seems to be the best avenue

Answer - This will Depend entirely upon the age of the child and severity of autism, i.e. high functioning, verbal, or non verbal and a lot of self stimulation, i.e. spinning in circles, flapping hands in the air, etc. There are lots of books out there and if you let me know more, I will be happy to try and guide you to the right information.
You can also check out our site: www.autismtoday.com, www.exceptionalresources.com and www.autismconferences.com ...hope this helps.

Answer - Hi Tanya, The best way I find to check out what sites are "out there" is to go to www.google.com and type the keyword "tourettes syndrome information" in the bar. Lots and lots of sites were presented. You will also be quite successful in finding agencies in your area to help them find jobs by typing in something like: Tourettes job support New York.
Hope this helps.

Answer - Hi Kathleen, Thanks for your inquiry. Yes, he could very well be misdiagnosed. This happens quite often. Puberty and sexuality also go hand in hand with autism/Asperger's syndrome. There is a new book (In fact, we are bringing the author into Edmonton Alberta Canada for our 3rd annual conference called Keys To The Treasure Chest. Our keynote speaker is Jerry Newport who has a new book out "Autism/Aspergers and Sexuality, Puberty and Beyond that is getting rave reviews.

I would certainly try to contact your local autism society to find a professional they recommend (this is important since many professionals haven't a clue!) to do an assessment. Best of luck to you and would you mind if we posted your inquiry on our site?

Answer - Hi Dawn, Thats interesting, I have family down in San Antonio Texas!
When working with those on the autism spectrum (including Aspergers syndrome, either low functioning or higher functioning) the challenge is usually quite similar. They need structure, good clear communication and information as to what will happen next. This can be done by implementing social stories and routines into the procedure. Bottom line is they need to know what will happen next so they can prepare their minds in the best way they know how.

Sensory issues also come into play so don't be alarmed if they dont like brushing their teeth because of the bristles or the type of toothpaste or whatever. Try a mild toothpaste, perhaps soft bristles or even no toothpaste at all. Try to establish a routine that they can integrate and use some sort of reward system if they are successful.

I could go on and on and hope this is at least a start..

I don't wish this message to get too long but I have tried to be a friend
to him and he has told me he truly wants my friendship but I really don't
think now that he understands what that means. There are many strange
things he has said to me over the past year which I have found myself
trying to understand. These are:

'why do you want to know what I or anyone else thinks' - he said this to
me after getting in touch with him finally asking why he suddenly stopped
contact with me

I asked why he can't just talk to me about it all and he said 'I haven't
even thought about it, why do you think I would'.

'I don't think like you about anything'
'I don't have a brain like yours, what is past is past to me and it
happened over a year ago (it was actually 4 months after it happened)

'noone can understand human behaviour, it is like not being able to see
the ocean for swimming'

He has told me and someone else that they look at life through a keyhole
and cannot possible see the whole picture (not sure if he is saying he
does too)

I recently sent a text telling him I was drunk and feeling happy and said
'what are you' and he replied 'whatever you see'. He said something
similar to this when he was telling me about this woman I accused him of
leaving me for and said 'maybe I just give you what you expect of me and
having fun with it'. He denied being with her then suddenly told me
callously that he was and had been all along.

'do you realise how intelligent and experienced I am'. He has often
brought the subject of his intelligence into conversation and said to me
'you have not got the intelligence to truly understand human behaviour
(and his behaviour), and would not know what to do with the conclusions of
your findings. I asked what he meant and he said 'see, I prove my point'

He told me he cared about me and my brother but then turned on my brother
and said he hated him and everyone else hated him and he is the least
threat to him. So much more about my brother and often brought him into
conversations when I was truly hurt by this. He did not get why I wanted
him to shut up. Weeks before he told me he liked him and didn't want to
lose contact.

He contradicts himself so much and tells people off for behaving not
nice - but yet he is far worse than this and cannot see it.

He has described himself as cold sometimes and 'the glass man'. Also when
I told him he was like a robot he said 'maybe I am'.

We have argued so much over the past year because of his insensitivity and
have told him I need to trust and know a friend isn't constantly lying to
me (he does). He asked why I need to trust.

I asked if he ever reflects on how he treats others or what affect his
words have on their feelings and he said 'never ever'. I told him he
really didn't give a damn and he said I was wrong and that 'it is not that
I do not care, but conclusions are drawn to fit one's own profile'

There is so much more to this man - he can be extremely insensitive and
shallow (bragging about sexual liaisons and how women adore him and how
charasmatic he is) but yet extremely deep.

I regret sending many emails to him which always seemed to be about rules
of friendship and asking him to open up to me. I told him if he valued my
friendship he would stop hurting me. Next day he told someone he 'valued
her friendship'. He seems to use other's words too.

What I would like your opinion on is does it sound like he has symptoms of
Asperger's and how can I stop my emotions getting in the way everytime he
says something which is hurtful (usually telling me about another woman).
I tell him to stop because it brings back painful memories about this
woman and he doesn't stop and seems to push my buttons all the time.

Also if he wants my friendship why does he just disappear for months and
months and then get back in touch and then start it all over again -
saying he likes me and doesn't want to argue, then tells me he doesn't get
angry at anyone but yet is so obviously angry and seems to be punishing
me. This all happened after I told him that he was playing games and I
didn't trust him and he had been acting. Whilst we were together he said
some unusual things and one of them when he was on the phone was 'when I
come to see you shortly can I hug you' and 'please let me make love to you
and say I love you'. When I asked why he said 'would not that be a good
thing to say'.

He suddenly started talking sexual to me again after around 9 months of
not doing but all the time telling me how happy he is with this other
woman and how much she wants him. Whenever we first started arguing he
would leave a message for me asking to see me and several times he has
said after him being really insensitive that he will see me but each time
never does and I so want to see him after all this but he refuses and says
it is not the right time. He does not understand how much that hurts and
friends do see each other.).

Answer - Hello Julie,
Its difficult for me to evaluate the personality of someone I don't know.
What I can tell you is that people with autism are not as visibly attached
to their emotions so that could be a sign.This could be why he just disappears from time to time. It sounds like he might be rather egocentric as its possibly just "about him"

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Karen Simmons