does anyone have any experiences from being dxed add and then later being dxed with asperger's? if so what were the differences that cued that change?

I think it's pretty common for these two conditions, because they have a great deal of over lapping symptoms, to be misdiagnosed. AD/HD is also very often found as a co-morbid condition of spectrum disorders, so it's not really surprising to see the misdiagnosis that occur. We also didn't previously have as much information about Aspergers as we do now. If I'm remembering correctly, at one point it wasn't even recognized, so many adults were misdiagnosed with AD/HD as children.

My husband has Asperger's and I have ADHD. We are SO completely different!

I think the mix up may occur in regards to social skills. I have a hard time (when not medicated) following a conversation or knowing how to contribute to small talk. I probably end up looking confused or bored. My husband is completely uninterested in small talk and tends to have a flat expression. We probably appear to be acting the same way in social situations, but our internal motivation and experience is completely different.

Some kids with Asperger's have trouble paying attention in school or completing schoolwork because they have a very limited range of interests and whatever is happening at that moment in the classroom is not of interest.

They can have Sensroy Integration Dysfuntion which makes being in some environments unbearable, such as a classroom with flourescent lighting or being touched by other children while palying a game, and they act out or zone out.

People with Asperger's tend to have a lot of anxiety which may lead to behaviors that mimic ADHD.

My husband has Asperger's and I have ADHD. We are SO completely different!

melanie_me very excellent posting.

Here is some more information

Aspergers symptoms (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219)


Hope this helps.

It is also very common to have sensory integration disorder with ADD. I do. I see an occupational therapist for treatment. I'm an adult (37 y.o.) woman. I actually do think I have Asperger's, but my last assessment said all I have is ADD and SID.

One thing that you might look for is a need for sameness. Also, perhaps very strong interest in one area. For example: A lot of aspies are very keen on computing.


ME :D

It is also very common to have sensory integration disorder with ADD. I do. I see an occupational therapist for treatment. I'm an adult (37 y.o.) woman. I actually do think I have Asperger's, but my last assessment said all I have is ADD and SID.

Yes. I really love computing. And sameness. I am really hating that my eating and sleep are so irregular, though.

It's almost 5 am and I'm awake. I have an appt at Voc Rehab at 11. I don't hear my alarm a lot, even at full volume. Anyway, I guess I have no choice but to take another klonopin. I must sleep. I slept 5-7:30 today, right after taking dex. Then, tonight, I've had this: 8pm-zoloft, fish oil, 5 mg dexedrine; 10 pm-2 tylenol p.m. 11:30-10 mg dex spansule, .5 mg klonopin, 400 mg neurontin.. decaf iced tea with a teaspoon of madagascar vanilla extract (13% alcohol) at around 3 a.m. I am just not tired and it is almost 5 a.m!

I used to have the same schedule of sleep and waking.. I had a steady routine.. and this is making me NUTS..

Melanie,

I wanted to tell you that your post helped me a lot, also. I think I might be both-AS & ADD.. but you know, people with just ADD can have the sensory problems and anxiety you describe in your post.

I wish I could meet you and your husband and decide which of you I am more like.. since I'm still searching diagnostically...

I know I have one or the other and I feel screwed up no matter what you call it ;)

A school psychologist just spent time with my son last week and feels that he exhibits many of the characteristics of Aspergers rather than ADD.

Some of the things she pointed out were:

1. He does not interact socially as often as other kids. A loner. We do not see this at home where there are more one to one situations. We know that he has problems socially, but he does exhibit some good skills. He plays fine one on one with someone he likes, at least at home. There are some play differences though to us they seem minor. But in a setting outside of our home with lots of kids, we can see that he is a bit different.

2. His visual acuity. He see things others do not. He told her that he office seemed sideways. He didn't know if it was the table or the walls, but something was off. Sure enough his pencil rolled off the table each time he put it down. He can find a 4 leaf clover just standing looking down at the ground. In fact, he will find five or six in minutes.

3. He sorts his m&m's by color, likes to line up toys, see patterns and likes to organize things. Although his room is a disaster and so is his backpack for school.

We also notice:

1. He does have narrow interests. Mainly he likes to build. Fortunately that is broad like legos, forts outside, Knex, junk materials. It is definately a preoccuping thing for him. Although he does like other things, too, his interests are definately narrower than other kids. And he does focus on these things intensely.

2. He overfocuses and does not hear you. Often does not answer, he will walk away in a middle of your sentence. I will tell him he just did that and he will say oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention.

He has some sensory issues, but they are not so bad anymore. They were never extreme, to us anyway.

There are other things, too. We are doing to fill out some questionaires for the psych soon. But as I read about this, I see plenty of things. I also see plenty of things that do not seem to apply. In one questionaire in the back of a book he scored 118, which was the highest of the LOW range, one more point would have indicated mild to moderate Asperger's. So I think it is mild, whatever that means.

We have a lot to learn and would like to hear from others who have experience with this.

It takes a lot to get a dx of AS. A simple quiz is not going to be diagnostic. A full neuropsychological evaluation would be the thing to do if you wish to pursue the diagnosis.

ME :D

I was always a competition junkie and was very social due to the concept of antagonizing and drama. People who arent fast like me though tend to wear out their welcome rather quickly. Recently I chose to have a limited social life and there was a suspected "aspie" dx apparently but the cause has to have the limited area component to begin with. My Asperger period was just a way for me to adapt to a grey area and that like every other extreme I have adapted to gets really old really fast.