PIP for Aspergers

watcher13

Information on PIP

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f60.htm

seven-day-weekend

Beetlemama, loved your post, made me :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

My son could talk in sentences at a year. But he was very late in other things, like reading (although once he realised it was fun, he soon whizzed through the school reading scheme so that he could take his own books in).

He was the same as your son at school - either As or nothing. If he wasn't interested, he would do no work. So for all the science and computer subjects, and English, he did well, with everything else he sank without trace.

Loved the bit about the tampax...although I'm glad it happened to you and not me!

He began to care a bit more about his appearance when he got a girlfriend - although she is on the autistic spectrum as well and so they sometimes both look as though they've been dragged through a hedge backwards. My son has to wear a uniform for work and knows it has to be up to a certain standard, so that comes under the heading of 'rules I must follow', he's Ok with that and usually looks presentable at work.

morganedge

Is there a big difference between social anxiety and aspergers?
Is the test for asperger's definitive? - It can't be faked to fool a doctor for example?
People who have relatives in their 20's with this disorder: How are they different from their peers?

Sorry for the daft questions, but sometimes, even on this site, people have asked me if I have ever been tested for asperger's.
There's definitely something not quite right with me, but I think it's just a lack of confidence and anxiety issues, but now I'm wondering if it's something else!

A a side note, I also have a friend who is an even more obvious candidate than me. Really quite an extreme case of what I think may be asperger's. He's never seen a doctor about it or anything though. I keep waiting for the day when his job centre advisor brings up the issue, but maybe that will never happen.

Gentile

charlieismydarling wrote: »

A stunningly ignorant and sweeping statement even for you Gentile. What exactly do you know about Asperger's?

I have to say your bluntness,total lack of empathy and rigidly sticking to your own personal agenda, even if it is off topic, has led me to wonder if perhaps this might be too close to home?

Blah blah blah. Still no proper explanation as to why Aspergers needs to be classified as disabled needing full time care.

In the meantime actual disabled who live their life on a wheelchair make every possible effort to live a normal life, try to get a job they can do, feel embarrassed that they have to claim benefits.

However, there are many parents out there who are trying to milk the system getting their children diagnosed as Aspergers to get more benefits, get a blue badge for the car etc etc. A mate of mine said to me he was happy that he forced the school to get his kid diagnosed with Aspergers because he kept asking so many questions ! That is the truth. Its being misused by many.

seven-day-weekend

morganedge wrote: »

Is there a big difference between social anxiety and aspergers?
Is the test for asperger's definitive? - It can't be faked to fool a doctor for example?
People who have relatives in their 20's with this disorder: How are they different from their peers?

Sorry for the daft questions, but sometimes, even on this site, people have asked me if I have ever been tested for asperger's.
There's definitely something not quite right with me, but I think it's just a lack of confidence and anxiety issues, but now I'm wondering if it's something else!

A a side note, I also have a friend who is an even more obvious candidate than me. Really quite an extreme case of what I think may be asperger's. He's never seen a doctor about it or anything though. I keep waiting for the day when his job centre advisor brings up the issue, but maybe that will never happen.

People on the autistic spectrum can suffer from social anxiety, but they are two different conditions.

My son has never been formally diagnosed, he does not see the point and also it's quite difficult for an adult to get a diagnosis. He has been INformally diagnosed, by someone who would know about these things, after we all suspected he has AS.

Here's an informal online test

http://www.aspergerstestsite.com/75/autism-spectrum-quotient-aq-test/#.UR9fOh3vhsS

Here's my result:

Your AQ Test Score is: 28

The official criteria for Aspergers Syndrome is an AQ score greater than 32.
According to statistical analysis, 26 – 31 Is a borderline score. 86% of people with this score have can be correctly classified as having Aspergers Syndrome

morganedge

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

People on the autistic spectrum can suffer from social anxiety, but they are two different conditions.

My son has never been formally diagnosed, he does not see the point and also it's quite difficult for an adult to get a diagnosis. He has been INformally diagnosed, by someone who would know about these things, after we all suspected he has AS.

Here's an informal online test

http://www.aspergerstestsite.com/75/autism-spectrum-quotient-aq-test/#.UR9fOh3vhsS

Here's my result:

Your AQ Test Score is: 28

The official criteria for Aspergers Syndrome is an AQ score greater than 32.
According to statistical analysis, 26 – 31 Is a borderline score. 86% of people with this score have can be correctly classified as having Aspergers Syndrome

I just took the test and actually only got a result of 24.

I wonder how more advanced an official test would be.
It's not like they can test your blood or anything is it!

However, if I had to answer the questions on behalf of my friend, it would easily be 32+.

I think i've got social issues/anxiety instead.
HATE doing new things for the first time.
Dislike meeting new people. New people think i'm shy, whereas my friends would likely describe me as almost extrovert!
Awful memory.
generally nervous about things.
Not good eye contact
Awful bearings. I could get lost in a shoe box if I'd never been there before!
Prefer listening to talking. I find talking to be quite hard work.

My friend, however, appears to have all of the symptoms of asperger's in quite an extreme way.

seven-day-weekend

Gentile wrote: »

Blah blah blah. Still no proper explanation as to why Aspergers needs to be classified as disabled needing full time care.

In the meantime actual disabled who live their life on a wheelchair make every possible effort to live a normal life, try to get a job they can do, feel embarrassed that they have to claim benefits.

However, there are many parents out there who are trying to milk the system getting their children diagnosed as Aspergers to get more benefits, get a blue badge for the car etc etc. A mate of mine said to me he was happy that he forced the school to get his kid diagnosed with Aspergers because he kept asking so many questions ! That is the truth. Its being misused by many.

It depends how far you are along the spectrum. Disability does not just mean using a wheelchair.

My son and his girlfriend both work, my son has not claimed any DLA, his girlfriend gets Low rate Care and Mobility (the mobility part is to do with another condition).

However, some people further along the spectrum would need an awful lot of care and would never be able to work.

Quite often the problem for employment, even with high-functioning Aspies, is the interview. My son's girlfriend would never get through an interview, she cannot express her thoughts in a clear and concise manner and would also drift off into irrelevancies. She would not be able to decide what was relevant to the interview and what wasn't. She got her job through an organisation that helps people with this type of disability into employment, and did not have to have an interview, just a work trial.

exarmydreamer

morganedge wrote: »

Is there a big difference between social anxiety and aspergers?
Is the test for asperger's definitive? - It can't be faked to fool a doctor for example?
People who have relatives in their 20's with this disorder: How are they different from their peers?

Sorry for the daft questions, but sometimes, even on this site, people have asked me if I have ever been tested for asperger's.
There's definitely something not quite right with me, but I think it's just a lack of confidence and anxiety issues, but now I'm wondering if it's something else!

A a side note, I also have a friend who is an even more obvious candidate than me. Really quite an extreme case of what I think may be asperger's. He's never seen a doctor about it or anything though. I keep waiting for the day when his job centre advisor brings up the issue, but maybe that will never happen.

The process for a dx is very long and can be complicated, due to the individual differences on the spectrum. For instance you could have a child who is a 'classic autistic child', this is classed as Kanner's A typical autism, named after the person who 'discovered it'. Then there is Aspergers, which again is named after the Dr who 'discovered', it in the 40's in Austria. Kanner was an American Dr doing research around the same time as Asperger at the beginning of the WW2. Aspergers is defined as having a less problem with communication but still has relevent problems with social aspects of life. Basically Aspergers is at the higher functioning end of the scale.

The processes are laid out and defined on the National Autistic Society (NAS), website. A child with very noticable Autism tends to be picked up around the time they start nursery, whereas a child with Aspergers can sometimes be missed till their late teen if not well into adulthood. I'm sure we have all known some rather eccentric elderly relatives or friends who obsess or have some social communication which is far different to the norm. It is now being picked up by the schools and authorities more now, which is why it is 'appearing to be more common but it isn't'.

The process is to long winded to be written about here but if posters wish to learn more the NAS website is the way to go. Also Jessica Kingsley Publishers website have useful leaflets and books on the spectrum. My oldest son was expelled from his first school at 5 in Northern Ireland and had to go through a Statement of Education Needs (SEN), process, reviewed for about a year by the childrens clinic and the school and us had to complete Conners ratings for ADHD and questionaires about his behaviour and development. We were seen by Social Services and referred to Speech and Lanuage specialists. He was also seen by Occupational Therapists and Eye specialists to rule other things out. A Statement of Education is a legal document, which sets out the child's needs whilst in Education. This provides extra monies to the school for support, a Statement takes 26 weeks to complete. My eldest has 35 hrs a week but due to him being in Special school it does not matter.

The dx is not given out unless they are absolutely sure. It's a very difficult dx to get your head around as a parent, it's like mourning for a child's future or what you perceived to be their future. BUT, you soon realise that every achievement is a wonder and they are all clever and brilliant in their own way. Please don't misunderstand when I say mourn, I love them to bits but every parent secretly wishes their child to be without problems.

I have just been through the process again with my 7 yr old, the school are struggling and I think he maybe joining his brother at an Autistic Special School in September, after his Statement has been done. He need personal care to keep clean, and constant 1 to 1. His dx has taken us since nursery, that's about 3 yrs which was quicker due to his older brothers problems and the fact I was so persistent and would not accept no for an answer.:)

It is impossible to fool the doctors about a dx for Autism. The Aspergers 'label', is no longer given out to new dx they are now given a dx of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

I wouldn't change my children now for the world but I sometimes blame myself as they are all so much like me but slightly further along that spectrum.:)

princessdon

I do think though that some ASD spectrum behaviours are related to social issues. I recently gained care of a family member at request of social services. There is a family history of ASD and so I wasn't surprised that the child was being tested, statements in process and DLA.

After a few weeks I noticed huge improvements. Spoke to social worker and voiced concerns to professionals.

Yes there is some quirks and a diagnosis in this case may be right, but a huge amount of issues the child was presented with was social. We no longer have temper tantrums, bad behaviour, communication in increasing daily, from little diet variety they now eat most things, have increased educationally and socially at school etc.

I stopped DLA after 2 weeks as it was clear child didnt have anywhere near the issues reported now in a stable environment.

I have family members with severe autism and so was obvious to me that social/parenting was the main issue.

Yet their GP had heavily supported the claim.

exarmydreamer

Gentile wrote: »

Blah blah blah. Still no proper explanation as to why Aspergers needs to be classified as disabled needing full time care.

In the meantime actual disabled who live their life on a wheelchair make every possible effort to live a normal life, try to get a job they can do, feel embarrassed that they have to claim benefits.

However, there are many parents out there who are trying to milk the system getting their children diagnosed as Aspergers to get more benefits, get a blue badge for the car etc etc. A mate of mine said to me he was happy that he forced the school to get his kid diagnosed with Aspergers because he kept asking so many questions ! That is the truth. Its being misused by many.

You sound jealous or bitter in some way, you shouldn't, I guarantee the stress of bringing up an autistic child is not good for you or the child.

You may not know the full story about your 'friends', child. He would have been screened by the school's Educational Phychologist, Children's Clinic etc. This dx is not given out like sweet's. Where he is on the spectrum is what matters. Some remain in main stream school, whereas other can't cope and have to go to Special Schools.

All Autistic people are different, you can't compare. I'd pay all the money in the world to take it away but it's here and we will work hard to bring our children up as happy caring adults, who hopefully will contribute to society.