Should he be diagnosed ?

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Hello , My name is Jeff and my son Wyatt has aspergers and I was wondering if I need to get him diagnosed. As I write this I answer my own question. Of course he should be diagnosed so we will know where to start as far as getting him help with social skills and helping him understand that not everyone is the same. He is 16 and my wife and I knew something was different about him from prob the age of 3 or 4. I thought for a long time that he was just low I.Q. and we should let him mature at his own pace. with patience and love from us he would be ok. But he is not making any progress socially or mentally and a few days ago I started thinking that this is getting worse and decided that he needs help from some one who knows how to work with special needs. So my question is, where do I start? is there a specific practice that helps ASD. Any advice that can save me time or frustration is greatly appreciated. And if your wondering how I know he has aspergers. Let me just say that when your a parent, you know. Wyatt also has a younger brother by 2 years who is very understanding and supportive. Thank you all

We started so much younger so I'm not sure to tell you where to start. Does he go to public school? If so you might want to start by talking to the Special Ed staff there. Our District has multiple Autism specialists. These folks often know the private practitioners who work with kids on the spectrum. A good psychologist or neuropsychologist may be a good fit for him.

Are you in the US? Country matters a lot; procedures are totally different in Canada, the UK or Australia.

We are in US, so that is what I'll share.

My son was diagnosed through the special education department at school, so I would start there, if the school has a half-way decent special education department (quality and ASD experience varies a LOT). Main advantage? It is free, and you will have the option of keeping it off your son's medical records, should that be of concern to your son (he is 16, his opinion matters).

Otherwise, some areas have special regional centers that specialize in ASDs. For that, you can start with your pediatrician and request a referral.

Meanwhile, you can start therapy and classes without a diagnosis, assuming you don't mind paying for them. For a 16 year old whose problems are mostly social, I would look into speech therapy. The speech community has taken a huge lead in working with the ASD community, and they can work with your son on pragmatic language, non-verbal communication, and more. Some people also recommend cognitive behavior therapy, but I haven't done it and do not know as much about it. I'd say the speech therapists were the biggest surprise for me; we started on this journey wanting occupational therapy, and not even considering that speech should be in the plan, but the school enrolled my son (with our permission) and that was that.

I do worry that 16 will be a difficult age at which to start down this road. Your son has devised many layers of adaption by now, that might hinder diagnosis; and also layers of self-defense, that could also create roadblocks. Is he even open to all this? Anyway. I do hope you can find the answers and assistance your son needs.

My son is 16, too, by the way. Diagnosed by the school (at our request) at age 7.