posted April 05, 2008 02:10 AM         

I was wondering if anyone knew of any homeopathic or natural remedies to stimulate his development or any suggestion of supplements that are easy to find. We can't quite get a grip on all that it takes to aide the disorder and it is hard to accommodate and treat if you don't have the money...

He's so full of energy and is a true character, he's a Leo sun, Aries moon and Capricorn ascendant. Thank you to anyone who can help!

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I love my Virgo <3

posted April 06, 2008 05:23 PM         

Maybe you can find some info in there....
www.autismspeaks.org

Love & light in your journey....

posted April 13, 2008 07:21 PM         

What's wrong with his being high functioning autistic?

There is nothing wrong with being neurodivergent.

Neurodiversity is an idea that asserts that atypical (neurodivergent) neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be tolerated and respected as any other human difference.[1] The concept of neurodiversity is embraced by some autistic individuals and people with related conditions, who believe that autism is not a disorder, but a part of their identity, so that curing autistic people would be the same as destroying their original personalities. Proponents prefer the term over such labels as "abnormal" and "disabled".

The earliest published use of the term appears in a New York Times article by Harvey Blume on September 30, 1998:[3]
“ Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment? Cybernetics and computer culture, for example, may favor a somewhat autistic cast of mind. ”

Previous to this, although Blume did not make explicit use of the term Neurodiversity, he wrote in a New York Times piece on June 30, 1997:[4]
“ Yet anyone who explores the subject on the Internet quickly discovers an altogether different side of autism. In cyberspace, many of the nation's autistics are doing the very thing the syndrome supposedly deters them from doing -- communicating.

Yet, in trying to come to terms with an NT-dominated world, autistics are neither willing nor able to give up their own customs. Instead, they are proposing a new social compact, one emphasizing neurological pluralism.

The consensus emerging from the Internet forums and Web sites where autistics congregate (...) is that NT is only one of many neurological configurations -- the dominant one certainly, but not necessarily the best.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity

posted April 22, 2008 05:21 PM         

"He also doesn't seem to understand taht conversations are two sided, and he has to listen sometimes. Does this sound like aspergers?"

Yeah....that's common in Aspergers. but that's also common in Dyspraxics too. The symptoms of Aspergers and Dyspraxics overlap.

the symptoms of neurodivergent conditions overlap any way.

I have a history of doing what your roommate says. I am not Aspergers but I am Dyspraxic.

We Dyspraxics can go off on a tangent. We can be a bit obsessive.

If your roommate doesn't have a history of coordination problems,clumsiness,and physical awkwardness, then he's not Dyspraxic. Those are hallmark traits of Dyspraxics.

problems understanding emotional/social cues are hallmark traits of autistic spectrum disorders. If he has a history of speech delays,then it rules out Aspergers. It wouldn't rule out of high functioning Autism like Dr. Temple Grandin has.

Neurodivergents including especially people on the autistic spectrum disorder tend to have sensory integration issues...they can be overreactive to external stimuli. Emotional melt downs aren't uncommon. Many Dyspraxics, Aspergers,Autistics tend to be excited very easily

I also want to reiterate that he may not have Aspergers,Autism nor any other neurodivergence. If you wonder if he is, you should go and just ask him. See what he says.

If he doesn't know,you can have him read stuff on Aspergers or other neurodivergences and see if he strongly identifies with it.

Aspergers will tend to seem a bit odd too. Dyspraxics can too.

the symptoms of Aspergers could get confused with schizoid personality type and possibly the schizotypal personality type.

there are Aspergers that have been misdiagnosed schizophrenia and bipolar.

a matter of fact in the book, THE BIPOLAR CHILD, Aspergers was listed as one of the conditions that are misdiagnosed Bipolar.

posted April 22, 2008 05:32 PM         

Typical social Characteristics of Aspergers Syndrome

-Difficulty in accepting criticism or correction

-Difficulty in offering correction or criticism without appearing harsh, pedantic or insensitive

-Difficulty in perceiving and applying unwritten social rules or protocols

-"Immature" manners

-Failure to distinguish between private and public personal care habits: i.e., brushing, public attention to skin problems, nose picking, teeth picking, ear canal cleaning, clothing arrangement

-Naïve trust in others

-Shyness

-Low or no conversational participation in group meetings or conferences

-Constant anxiety about performance and acceptance, despite recognition and commendation

-Scrupulous honesty, often expressed in an apparently disarming or inappropriate manner or setting

-Bluntness in emotional expression

-"Flat affect"

-Discomfort manipulating or "playing games" with others

-Unmodulated reaction in being manipulated, patronized, or "handled" by others

-Low to medium level of paranoia

-Low to no apparent sense of humor; bizarre sense of humor (often stemming from a "private" internal thread of humor being inserted in public conversation without preparation or warming others up to the reason for the "punchline")

-Difficulty with reciprocal displays of pleasantries and greetings

-Problems expressing empathy or comfort to/with others: sadness, condolence, congratulations, etc.

-Pouting,, ruminating, fixating on bad experiences with people or events for an inordinate length of time

-Difficulty with adopting a social mask to obscure real feelings, moods, reactions

-Using social masks inappropriately (you are "xv" while everyone else is ????)

-Abrupt and strong expression of likes and dislikes

-Rigid adherence to rules and social conventions where flexibility is desirable

-Apparent absence of relaxation, recreational, or "time out" activities

-"Serious" all the time

-Known for single-mindedness

-Flash temper

-Tantrums

-Excessive talk

-Difficulty in forming friendships and intimate relationships; difficulty in distinguishing between acquaintance and friendship

-Social isolation and intense concern for privacy

-Limited clothing preference; discomfort with formal attire or uniforms

-Preference for bland or bare environments in living arrangements

-Difficulty judging others’ personal space

-Limited by intensely pursued interests

-Often perceived as "being in their own world"
http://groups.msn.com/Dyspraxiaetc/aspergerssyndrome.msnw

posted April 22, 2008 05:37 PM         

he listed the adult Dyspraxic symptoms from Dyspraxia Foundation UK

Adult Symptoms
Thank you again to the Dyspraxia Foundation UK for their excellent list of adult symptoms.

“People who have dyspraxia often find the routine tasks of daily life such as driving, household chores, cooking and grooming difficult. They can also find coping at work is hard. People with dyspraxia usually have a combination of problems, including:Gross motor co-ordination skills (large movements):

* Poor balance. Difficulty in riding a bicycle, going up and down hills
* Poor posture and fatigue. Difficulty in standing for a long time as a result of weak muscle tone. Floppy, unstable round the joints. Some people with dyspraxia may have flat feet
* Poor integration of the two sides of the body. Difficulty with some sports involving jumping and cycling
* Poor hand-eye co-ordination. Difficulty with team sports especially those which involve catching a ball and batting. Difficulties with driving a car
* Lack of rhythm when dancing, doing aerobics
* Clumsy gait and movement. Difficulty changing direction, stopping and starting actions
* Exaggerated 'accessory movements' such as flapping arms when running
* Tendency to fall, trip, bump into things and people

Fine motor co-ordination skills (small movements):
* Lack of manual dexterity. Poor at two-handed tasks, causing problems with using cutlery, cleaning, cooking, ironing, craft work, playing musical instruments
* Poor manipulative skills. Difficulty with typing, handwriting and drawing. May have a poor pen grip, press too hard when writing and have difficulty when writing along a line
* Inadequate grasp. Difficulty using tools and domestic implements, locks and keys
* Difficulty with dressing and grooming activities, such as putting on makeup, shaving, doing hair, fastening clothes and tying shoelaces

Poorly established hand dominance:

* May use either hand for different tasks at different times

Speech and language:

* May talk continuously and repeat themselves. Some people with dyspraxia have difficulty with organizing the content and sequence of their language
* May have unclear speech and be unable to pronounce some words
* Speech may have uncontrolled pitch, volume and rate

Eye movements:

* Tracking. Difficulty in following a moving object smoothly with eyes without moving head excessively. Tendency to lose the place while reading
* Poor relocating. Cannot look quickly and effectively from one object to another (for example, looking from a TV to a magazine)

Perception (interpretation of the different senses):

* Poor visual perception
* Over-sensitive to light
* Difficulty in distinguishing sounds from background noise. Tendency to be over-sensitive to noise
* Over- or under-sensitive to touch. Can result in dislike of being touched and/or aversion to over-loose or tight clothing - tactile defensiveness
* Over- or under-sensitive to smell and taste, temperature and pain
* Lack of awareness of body position in space and spatial relationships. Can result in bumping into and tripping over things and people, dropping and spilling things
* Little sense of time, speed, distance or weight. Leading to difficulties driving, cooking
* Inadequate sense of direction. Difficulty distinguishing right from left means map reading skills are poor

Learning, thought and memory:

* Difficulty in planning and organising thought
* Poor memory, especially short-term memory. May forget and lose things
* Unfocused and erratic. Can be messy and cluttered
* Poor sequencing causes problems with maths, reading and spelling and writing reports at work
* Accuracy problems. Difficulty with copying sounds, writing, movements, proofreading
* Difficulty in following instructions, especially more than one at a time
* Difficulty with concentration. May be easily distracted
* May do only one thing at a time properly, though may try to do many things at once
* Slow to finish a task. May daydream and wander about aimlessly

Emotion and behavior:

* Difficulty in listening to people, especially in large groups. Can be tactless, interrupt frequently. Problems with team work
* Difficulty in picking up non-verbal signals or in judging tone or pitch of voice in themselves and or others. Tendency to take things literally. May listen but not understand
* Slow to adapt to new or unpredictable situations. Sometimes avoids them altogether
* Impulsive. Tendency to be easily frustrated, wanting immediate gratification
* Tendency to be erratic have 'good and bad days'
* Tendency to opt out of things that are too difficult

Emotions as a result of difficulties experienced:

* Tend to get stressed, depressed and anxious easily
* May have difficulty sleeping
* Prone to low self-esteem, emotional outbursts, phobias, fears, obsessions, compulsions and addictive behavior

Many of these characteristics are not unique to people with dyspraxia and not even the most severe case will have all the above characteristics. But adults with dyspraxia will tend to have more than their fair share of co-ordination and perceptual difficulties.”
http://www.dyspraxiausa.org/adult_symptoms.html

posted April 22, 2008 11:56 PM         

Youre an angel.