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He was diagnosed as ADHD but I believe it was a misdiagnosis but he sure was hyperactive. So bright and full of life! He was a handful but a delightful child. He was also a very strong baby/toddler. He normalized at the age normal kids achieve similar strength. Anyway, I think his hyperactivity was part of his Asperger's but I could be wrong and it could have been a comorbid condition.
Interesting. My son was very hyperactive and obviously very bright but had delayed speech development. He later suffered social development disorder and anxiety, leading to depression. He had Asperger's.
A few thought my son had Asperger Syndrome when he was young. He, too, had delayed speech development, social development disorder, anxiety and depression--among other things. Yes, he's very bright. It's almost a curse when you realize that you don't fit in with the rest of the kids.
I don't know much about it and am stretching myself here, but I'm pretty sure Asperger's (and autism in general) can result in some inappropriate behavior, some of which is hyperactivity not due to ADHD.
I'm curious if children with autism (including Asperger's) tend to also have ADHD.
I teach special ed and one thing that I've observed is that almost every child I've had with autism also had behaviors that looked very similar to ADHD, along with the autistic behaviors. There are other disorders that also look a lot like ADHD but aren't. Auditory Processing Disorder is co-morbid with ADHD so often that some docs are thinking they're two sides of the same disorder. Ever wonder why you make it to the meeting on the wrong night or the wrong time or totally got something screwed around in your head that someone said? Yes, it is you and it's APD. Not the same as a hearing problem. For that reason I was a terrible note-taker in school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerania
A few thought my son had Asperger Syndrome when he was young. He, too, had delayed speech development, social development disorder, anxiety and depression--among other things. Yes, he's very bright. It's almost a curse when you realize that you don't fit in with the rest of the kids.
I have a boy in my class with an IQ of around 50 and he doesn't fit in with the other kids either and believe me, it's just as much of a curse for him. The sad thing is that he appears to be quite normal and is even quite a handsome young man, so people expect more out of him and then he opens his mouth and starts to talk and people get a little spooked. He's not autistic but he has some of the most extreme ADHD symptoms I've seen, which makes me wonder if it isn't something else altogether. Not all kids with ADHD have social problems but they can be severe in some kids and they are for this kid. I believe that social problems would probably be the biggest contributor to depression that there is. Meaning, even if your life were perfect in every other way, but you have social problems, you're going to be depressed.
I don't know much about it and am stretching myself here, but I'm pretty sure Asperger's (and autism in general) can result in some inappropriate behavior, some of which is hyperactivity not due to ADHD.
I'm curious if children with autism (including Asperger's) tend to also have ADHD.
isnt using the term ADHD just a way to classify certain behaviors, though? im not sure you could say whether or not something was "due to ADHD".
isnt using the term ADHD just a way to classify certain behaviors, though? im not sure you could say whether or not something was "due to ADHD".
ADHD is an actual disorder rooted in brain chemistry, not just a way to classify certain behaviors. The behaviors are caused by and outward symptoms of the disorder. Hyperactivity is only one component of ADHD. I don't think all hyperactivity is due to ADHD. I don't know that much about autism, but I've seen hyperactivity in autistic children. I'm not sure if those with autism tend to also have ADHD or what it is, which is why I said I'm curious about that. I guess you're right, I can't really say for sure that the hyperactivity I was talking about where you quoted me is not due to ADHD. I can say that I suspect some of the hyperactivity seen in autistic children is not due to ADHD. Some of it may be the child not knowing what is appropriate behavior, due to autism.
ADHD is an actual disorder rooted in brain chemistry, not just a way to classify certain behaviors. The behaviors are caused by and outward symptoms of the disorder. Hyperactivity is only one component of ADHD. I don't think all hyperactivity is due to ADHD. I don't know that much about autism, but I've seen hyperactivity in autistic children. I'm not sure if those with autism tend to also have ADHD or what it is, which is why I said I'm curious about that. I guess you're right, I can't really say for sure that the hyperactivity I was talking about where you quoted me is not due to ADHD. I can say that I suspect some of the hyperactivity seen in autistic children is not due to ADHD. Some of it may be the child not knowing what is appropriate behavior, due to autism.
see this is why i tend to think these things are much more connected than we realize. if we don't understand all the causes and effects (yet?), how can we really know? there are probably many environmental factors at play that we dont know about.
Also, not all ADD is ADHD. I have ADD, meaning - I don't have the hyperactivity issues. It creates somewhat of a social disconnect, but it's not because of Asperger, it's because of data processing. Metaphorically speaking, the filter that determines what I should pay attention to, and what I should ignore, is not functioning, so my brain gets stuck processing every bit of data that comes into it, simultaneously. As a result, I get frustrated and end up getting sharp-tempered at someone, or flail my arms, or shut down and just sit there crying. Depends on what's going on. An example that happens recently:
Internet connectivity issues. Dealing with having to be put on hold with the phone company - after spending 5 minutes just trying to push the right buttons to get to the right department. So I'm hold listening to this REALLY BAD hold music, and a call comes in on my call-waiting. Immediately my brain is screaming "OMG if I click to answer that, the phone company will pick up, hear that I'm not there, and hang up and I'll have to try again! But if I don't click to answer that, what if it's the phone company calling me back from the LAST time I called them an hour ago? What if it's my sister needing to go to the hospital? What if it's my job calling me in early for work? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW??"
And then my husband walks into the room to ask what I'm going to get him for supper.
My response: Total shut down of conscious thought. I draw a blank. I stare at the phone, I stare at my husband, I stare at the computer, and I have absolutely zero comprehension of my "place" among reality.
That split second of jumbled thinking makes me bug out. And it's all because life dared to interfere with my routine.
That isn't any kind of autism, though many people with autism experience similar issues. It's just data overload, which is my descriptive phrase for ADD.
^I'm not sure anybody else does, but I consider the excessive inward (mental) energy hyperactivity too. That scenario is typical of adults and girls. I believe it's called "ADHD - inattentive type". The outward hyperactivity aspect is most prevalent in young boys. When that outward hyperactivity gets channeled inward due to the arising in which it is no longer socially acceptable, I think that sets the stage for increased ADHD-driven anxiety. That's what happened to me, and seemingly in two stages. First around puberty, then when I was about 20 (when teenage behavior was no longer as acceptable). The ADHD being forced inward wasn't the only reason for increased anxiety during those times, but it was certainly part of it. Anyway, my case sounds like yours. I have a hard time paying attention to people, which makes for a social disconnect or deficiency. I've come to that idea about myself after thinking about it for a long time and deciding that Asperger's just doesn't seem to quite fit me. I definitely understand what you're saying about it not being any kind of autism.
I can pay attention to people as long as a few things happen: 1) they speak clearly, because I have a hearing problem and simply tune them out if I can't understand what they're saying, and 2) I don't get distracted by something else going on. A (2a) would be: as long as they're interesting to listen to. If they're not, then those distractions become more distracting
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