quick question re. AS kids(for a story)

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does the following sound like a kid who is AS?

1

does the follow sound like a kid on the AS?

I don't think we can tell from those stories. Most two year olds throw tantrums.

Honestly? No. I don't see how wanting cookies and throwing a tantrum are not normal behaviours.

My understanding in regards to AS is that there is no speech delay.

Thanks for your honest imput.

So, #1 is not Autism spectrum either?

What about ignoring others when they talk to the kid?

In the third passage, the kid had a tantrum becasue his routine was disrupted.

how could I make the kid more like he's on the autism spectrum?

Can't tell. He clearly has a speech delay, but the difference between Asperger's and autism is semantics anyway (hence all the people who get diagnosed with PDD-NOS-- they just don't PRECISELY fit into one of the neat little boxes that are supposed to hold everybody on the spectrum and keep the Aspies over there and the auties over there, and never the twain shall meet... which is about as stupid as drawing two little boxes on a lawn and saying this box is the Aspie grass and the other box is the autie grass... but I digress).

So, he's a kid with a speech delay who likes TV. Could be anything. Could be otherwise purely NT, could be autistic, could be anything. He's really ambiguous. Speaking in terms of sheer probability, the speech delay gives him, what, a 10% or so chance of having autism, as opposed to a 1% chance?

Needs more traits if you want it to be clear. He could be autistic from the way you've written it, but it's not clear. My guess from just those snippets, setting aside what I know of your intent and conservation of detail, is that... I have no guess. I'd believe a kid like that being normal ten years down the road; I'd believe a kid like that being autistic; I'd believe a kid like that sounding weird and maybe being an outcast, but otherwise NT.

We do have a forum for fiction writing, you know.

The only thing that sets off warning bells is, you have an IEP before he's started preschool. That strikes me as odd and indicative of something REALLY, REALLY OBVIOUS, but then, I'm not all that familiar with the process. I was much older when I got an IEP (don't have one now).

You'd need more traits if you want to make it blatant (why?), so I suggest that he play like it. The cliche is spinning the wheels of toy cars, but all sorts of other things-- if he has access to water and a rough, dry surface with a slight incline (hose and driveway), or a vertical surface (shower), he could have HOURS of fun. Also, spinning, rocking, squealing, echolalia. Echolalia in a very high-pitched tone of voice and JUST NOT STOPPING seems to really annoy NTs (and some Aspies), but that's another standard. I love that one. Not one of my stims (haven't got the voice for it), but when I'm with someone whose stim it IS, I love it and I always stand up for them against anyone who tells them to shut up. Let's see, pacing (this IS something I do, and I love it, too, it's GREAT), and they might have a favorite toy that's not a very typical toy (Christmas lights, empty black bottle like they keep film in, little plastic ruler, book (used for stimming with the pages rather than reading, though I always do both at once), plastic bag, rock, top, fireplace... be creative).

You should be really creative here, but you should be consistent. E.g., a character who can't stand the feel of wool will NOT like wool. Ever. Even in his favorite color. BUT don't be too consistent-- a character who has severe auditory overloads can't reasonably be expected to enjoy concerts, but he might still like music (turned down so low no one else can hear it, maybe). I do, at least.

If you want to write from his POV, or write him talking about it, ask for more advice on the specific issue. Socks are often bothersome. If you wear tennis shoes all day without socks, they get to smell bad to NTs (but not to me, at least), but if you go barefoot all the time, your feet won't smell too bad.

Oh, and problems with grooming. We have so many reasons I don't think I even know them all. Feels bad-- brushing hair, ESPECIALLY brushing teeth (I've finally learned the trick of doing it so it's effective and doesn't HURT OH MY GOD THE PAIN THE PAIN IT IS THE WORST PAIN EVER, and unlike with other sensory issues, which don't hurt per se, this one DOES, this one is OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH GOD, you made me think of it). Can't figure it out-- how do I dry off after a shower? Can't remember to do it-- nothing cues him to take a bath. Transition issues-- okay, drop what you're doing, come do this other thing! (That's a sure way to induce a meltdown in a little one, and sometimes in someone known for having great emotional reserves.) Preferring not to-- I like my hair better when I don't wash it. Not seeing the point. Not caring what others think. Not being able to make the right movements. Grooming being too hard and leaving you really tired afterward (not the way to start the day).

Also, do you mean tantrum or meltdown? A tantrum is manipulative; a meltdown is uncontrolled. If it would stop if he got to watch TV-- not if it wouldn't have happened, but if it would totally stop, he'd be utterly fine-- that's a tantrum. If he couldn't stop it, that's a meltdown. Trips up a lot of people. My mother always liked to ask me if I wanted her to use her energy solving the problem or dealing with a fit. Doesn't work that way; to make that choice you have to be able to actually make choices. But nobody told me I wasn't supposed to be in control, and the work DID pay off; I'm in my late teens and I usually retain partial control all throughout, and rarely do something truly awful, just embarrass myself and sometimes alienate people.

Thx

To me, the scenes don't deliver enough sense of character, and without that, one couldn't tell if the child was AS. Getting enough detail into two short scenes to flush out a sense of AS would be really difficult, but perhaps if you enhance the level of characterization in those scenes it would start to clue the reader in. You have a series of actions and conversation, but no description of facial expression, movement and other details that fill out the scene and give the reader a feel for who the characters are. Just IMHO; I'm not the one brave enough to write the story, so take me with a grain of salt. You will probably get better feed back about all that on the writing forum.

Thx! I put the thread here, as I needed imput from parents.

how are meltdowns taken care of by parents?

does the following sound more like a meltdown?

Come on now...................

no i have nothing constructive...i'd have to rewrite the whole thing for you .