What are current medications prescibed to teens with Aspergers and what are any side effects? My son is 15 and has high functioning aspergers and a very bad temper.Hisschool request he be medicated.
Does your Paediatrician believe this as well? If so, he / she can provide you with information on this as any medication given will depend on areas to be targetted - anxiety, repetitive / obsessive behaviour / aggression / attention difficulties and so on.
My son was in a mainstream school for kindy and parts of year one. By that stage the school had requested that I seek professional advice and possibly medicate him. I did this. But things were rapidly getting out of hand. The staff struggled to manage his behaviour and it was very hard for them. He went to a string of special needs schools and has ended up in a fantastic little private school which caters for kids like him. Now my boys co-morbidities are quite complex and he needs to be on medication. But having him in the right school has made a massive difference to his behaviour. Mainstream schools are designed to reach certain academic levels at certain stages. Some children cannot achieve this and the frustrations that may arise due to ASD issues raise the temperature in the classroom for everyone. One of the special schools gave my son time outs continually, thinking that the pressure would make his behaviur conform. Clearly this approach did not work and had a reverse effect.
Though I did not wish to medicate my son, I have had to realize that for him it is a necessary intervention. I have also realized the hard way that the style of education makes a huge difference. I'd suggest looking into the communication techniques the school is applying (as many times this is a critical issue), and if everything is being done that can be, don't be afraid to use medication. A happy child and teacher will help your child to retain happier memories of school and maybe everyone can learn better because of it.
To my knowledge, there are no medications for Asperger's Disorder.
Some children with Asperger's Disorder have other conditions such as anxiety, depression, pain and/or stress that they are given medication for. Your son's temper may be the result of inappropriate conduct of an education service, or related to other untreated health conditions. Treat the cause of his temper, not the temper itself (which is his way to communicate that he is uncomfortable in his situation). These are issues for his school and appropriate health professionals. If you observe mood and behavioural challenges then you should consider getting health support.
If his school observes mood and behaviour challenges that you do not see, then they should ask themselves why. They should get professional assistance. They should discuss their concerns and proposed solutions with you.
I am appalled by a school raising medication rather than advising consultation with appropriate professionals. They should not be suggesting "chemical restraint" (which involves complicated processes to protect the child's rights in some Australian states). Maybe the school staff should first review their own valium intake.
I'm new to this group... so I'm not sure of your experiences or any others for that matter (-: Nor am I certain of the protocol re offering info...
From what I've learnt in my very small time in the ASD World... There are some good practitioners in Australia that look at the individual and treat underlying issues ie: test mineral levels etc. Emerging research www.mindd.org - indicates that seemingly unrelated childhood conditions are being driven by toxicity combined with poor nutrition (ie some kids have such a limited diet - some just won't eat) that compromises the child's ability to detoxify. The result is inflammation and oxidative stress (rusting of the body) triggered by an immune system that is unable to handle stresses it did not evolve to handle. Allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, learning & mood disorders share underlying Metabolic, Immunologic, Neurologic, Digestive and Developmental conditions that often affect the mind (hence Mindd).
There are effective Integrative healthcare treatments available to treat and prevent these conditions. By recognising that diet and environment can trigger genetic expression, we can take charge of our children's health as well as that of future generations. Best outcomes lie in teams of trained Integrative professionals and educated parents.
I'm happy for you to email me privately should you like a list of Practitioners. Hopefully some of this info may help?
I'm new to this group... so I'm not sure of your experiences or any others for that matter (-: Nor am I certain of the protocol re offering info...
From what I've learnt in my very small time in the ASD World... There are some good practitioners in Australia that look at the individual and treat underlying issues ie: test mineral levels etc. Emerging research www.mindd.org - indicates that seemingly unrelated childhood conditions are being driven by toxicity combined with poor nutrition (ie some kids have such a limited diet - some just won't eat) that compromises the child's ability to detoxify. The result is inflammation and oxidative stress (rusting of the body) triggered by an immune system that is unable to handle stresses it did not evolve to handle. Allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, learning & mood disorders share underlying Metabolic, Immunologic, Neurologic, Digestive and Developmental conditions that often affect the mind (hence Mindd).
There are effective Integrative healthcare treatments available to treat and prevent these conditions. By recognising that diet and environment can trigger genetic expression, we can take charge of our children's health as well as that of future generations. Best outcomes lie in teams of trained Integrative professionals and educated parents.
I'm happy for you to email me privately should you like a list of Practitioners and Regional Seminars with lots more info. Hopefully some of this info helps?
Hi, I am new to this site and AS, my 17yo daughter was diagnosed last week and has many health issues that all revolve around gastrointestinal problems, food allergies with the end result of eating problems. I would love a list of Practitioners and Regional Seminars.
This website (A4) is national ... we would need to know what region, or even state, you are interested in.
I suggest you look for two types of help for your daughter. Treatment for "gastrointestinal problems, food allergies" etc. is likely to be independent to your daughter's AS. Treatment may be complicated by communication and behaviour issues that relate to her AS so consultations could need more time and patience. There are provisions in the health care system to fund this ... your GP should know about them and how you can access them.
The second challenge is your daughter's "eating problems". It sounds like these need to be treated. Opinions vary as to what may work. You could talk to both a behavioural specialist (hopefully with good skills in AS) and an eating specialist. Again, your GP may be able to refer you and your daughter. If they cannot work together you and your daughter may need to bring the two perspectives together yourselves. Is your daughter's view that she has a problem? If not, you may need to work through that issue first.
Hi Jesse
Please if you dont need to medicate then dont especially at the request of a school it is not their place to say that to you.
I believe you should seek some medical advise especially about the bad temper it could be hormones it could be his lack of understanding of a situation or just total frustration all of which can be fixed naturally.
If you personall felt his temper was extreme then you should still seek medical advise.
Try to find the underlying cause first before medication.
hi Jesse. life with autism (in my case aspergers) is and will always be very challenging for you as the parent of such child. as an autism suffer, i can tell you ive tried many things over the years to deal with manny of it's NASTY sympoms like the depression bieng anxious, flipping out over what others see as trivial etc.
manny of these drugs i have tried mostly for the depression side (accute extreme) are far for dangerous than doctors would have you believe! with side affects that are HORRIBLE! and far outway any so-called benifit. not to mention that those so-called benifits soon revert back to nothing.
I am now 35yo and was only diagnosed with asperges at age 30 as my sister works / teaches such children and relised that this may be the issue. life for me was always hard and to look into it and see written down all the Atypical symtoms i have always had trouble with and to finaly understand why.. brough tears to my eyes.
I had gone "off the rails" many times and got mixed in with the wrong sort of people and drug abbuse etc.
this of cause not helping anyone! i became a pot smoker for about 20 years here where it is not legal! and just led to fines and court charges etc.
further frustrating me. i am aware of the benifits and detrements of using such and will not recoment this to anyone without it bieng approved. you may look further into that if ur curious. i am not a drug advocate in any way shape or form. i have recently been charged again. and now will not use such as i have found a drug that works for me and while it is not recongnised as a treatment for autism i have found it to be a mirricle for me. not being a doctor i cannot recomend anything to you but can however talk of my expiriance with drugs over the years.
now for the good part.
I have looked at manny things and was taking 2mg valium for the anxiety part of this disorder. i found it did help me for a while but did not help me to focus on work, study, keep calm and active therefore benifiting me or my community. but what i have found and been taking for the last week and for me, i cannot express how wonderfull and affective this has been =) is simply cutting a 30mg codine phosphate tablet(prescription) into quarters and taking 1 quarter a day (7mg) while this dose is not enough to induce a feeing of euphoria. it does give me the abillity to focus, maintain high energy levels, learn, retain information, become more able to comunicate / be social, work hard, stop flipping out over trivial things (tantrums), and become an active and polite working member of my comunity.
while am in in the early stages of my trials with such, i am truly amazed at how great my life (otherwise very hard) has become!
this being said, this drug is an opioid and therefore does have an addictive side. im not sure if this would be good for a young teen like you have and i need to do allot more personal case studies about it. i THINK it is far less dangerous than all others ive tried and works a treat!
your doctor would be able to express more about this substance than me, yet there have to my knowlege been NO clinical trials of such for autism mannagment. i found this kind of by accident but so far am TRULY CHUFFED with the results.
talk to your doctor about tring it perhaps?
it may be that one day if enough autistic people find great improvent in such they will make a 3-5mg captule that may even be good enough.. i believe that when it comes to drugs, less is for sure better!!!
it not good to take any drugs at all and i dont like to get "high". i like myself , my health and my life. but if it can make your life, your childs life and quality of life better with little or no side effects then your onto a winner!
note, all my life from about age 3-4 my parents have tried all kinds of odd therapy, diets, taste stimulants etc. and never found anything helped with this condition (that was not even known about when i was just a little boy).
the reason for me joining this and other groups has been purley to express my findings and force the medical boards to look further into this frustrating and hard to deal with condition. my trials will continue but once again, i am ammazed at the almost instand benifit ive had and am now rigth back into work after some very hard times! i feel the best ive felt in years and am far more social than i think ive ever been in 35 years. for me it worked! i wish you all the very best in your attempt to find what works for you. good luck to you and your teenaged boy! =)
David.
(update) i have found a side effect of this that that does cost me, but i think it's ok, that is sushi! i am now more hooked on this delightfull food than ive ever been! but i dont think thats a bad thing =) hmm, might go grab another salmon delight i think hehhe. see what i mean? =P
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on this topic. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him. So I should thank you for the free lunch I got.
I too have a 15yo with Aspergers with a very bad temper. He just smashed up the billiard room because I would not let him watch TV in there as he would not help my other son bring in some wood for the fire. Why should he enjoy the privileges of living in this house when he only helps when he is "in the mood"? I ended up calling the police because I had to remove him from the room which he refused to leave. I could not leave him there as he could have hurt himself or damaged something expensive. And yes - I know it's only stuff - but I've worked hard for my stuff and it's just me now since his father died in a car accident 4 1/2 years ago. I can't afford to replace the things he breaks and there are other people in the house that are entitled to use them. He rejects any form of discipline or authority unless he feels like co-operating. The police (and everyone else) keep telling me to set boundaries - but believe me when I say that the boundaries are set in concrete. He does not get away with any of his bad behavior. He often resorts to smashing up the house - but never his own stuff of course. I too have considered medication and have resisted so far because his rages occur at varying intervals with usually a couple of weeks (sometimes months) in between. I feel like its like taking a headache pill every day on the off chance that you might get a headache. I get lulled into a false sense of security. Even today I had a couple of really good conversations with him where I felt he was actally listening and taking in some of my advice. ... and then this happens. I believe he was frustrated at not being able to get past a certain level on a video game and so he did not "feel like" helping out. He is very intelligent but is not doing so well at school because he only does the work that he feels like doing. If he is not interested, no amount of reasoning, threatening or cajoling will persuade him to do it. I'm at the point where I would be very happy if he were to live somewhere else such as a specialized group home. I don't trust him. During todays altercation he screamed at me that I was going to die. If I walk away from him and ingore him during the rages he keeps escalating and smashing stuff just to get my attention. Enough said. Maybe its time to get him on medication.
Re: Medication
Hi Jesse,
Does your Paediatrician believe this as well? If so, he / she can provide you with information on this as any medication given will depend on areas to be targetted - anxiety, repetitive / obsessive behaviour / aggression / attention difficulties and so on.
Re: Medication
My son was in a mainstream school for kindy and parts of year one. By that stage the school had requested that I seek professional advice and possibly medicate him. I did this. But things were rapidly getting out of hand. The staff struggled to manage his behaviour and it was very hard for them. He went to a string of special needs schools and has ended up in a fantastic little private school which caters for kids like him. Now my boys co-morbidities are quite complex and he needs to be on medication. But having him in the right school has made a massive difference to his behaviour. Mainstream schools are designed to reach certain academic levels at certain stages. Some children cannot achieve this and the frustrations that may arise due to ASD issues raise the temperature in the classroom for everyone. One of the special schools gave my son time outs continually, thinking that the pressure would make his behaviur conform. Clearly this approach did not work and had a reverse effect.
Though I did not wish to medicate my son, I have had to realize that for him it is a necessary intervention. I have also realized the hard way that the style of education makes a huge difference. I'd suggest looking into the communication techniques the school is applying (as many times this is a critical issue), and if everything is being done that can be, don't be afraid to use medication. A happy child and teacher will help your child to retain happier memories of school and maybe everyone can learn better because of it.
medication for Asperger's Disorder
To my knowledge, there are no medications for Asperger's Disorder.
Some children with Asperger's Disorder have other conditions such as anxiety, depression, pain and/or stress that they are given medication for. Your son's temper may be the result of inappropriate conduct of an education service, or related to other untreated health conditions. Treat the cause of his temper, not the temper itself (which is his way to communicate that he is uncomfortable in his situation). These are issues for his school and appropriate health professionals. If you observe mood and behavioural challenges then you should consider getting health support.
If his school observes mood and behaviour challenges that you do not see, then they should ask themselves why. They should get professional assistance. They should discuss their concerns and proposed solutions with you.
I am appalled by a school raising medication rather than advising consultation with appropriate professionals. They should not be suggesting "chemical restraint" (which involves complicated processes to protect the child's rights in some Australian states). Maybe the school staff should first review their own valium intake.
Medication
Hi Jesse, how are you?
I'm new to this group... so I'm not sure of your experiences or any others for that matter (-: Nor am I certain of the protocol re offering info...
From what I've learnt in my very small time in the ASD World... There are some good practitioners in Australia that look at the individual and treat underlying issues ie: test mineral levels etc. Emerging research www.mindd.org - indicates that seemingly unrelated childhood conditions are being driven by toxicity combined with poor nutrition (ie some kids have such a limited diet - some just won't eat) that compromises the child's ability to detoxify. The result is inflammation and oxidative stress (rusting of the body) triggered by an immune system that is unable to handle stresses it did not evolve to handle. Allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, learning & mood disorders share underlying Metabolic, Immunologic, Neurologic, Digestive and Developmental conditions that often affect the mind (hence Mindd).
There are effective Integrative healthcare treatments available to treat and prevent these conditions. By recognising that diet and environment can trigger genetic expression, we can take charge of our children's health as well as that of future generations. Best outcomes lie in teams of trained Integrative professionals and educated parents.
I'm happy for you to email me privately should you like a list of Practitioners. Hopefully some of this info may help?
No vested interests.
Kindest regards
Rhonda (-:
Medication
Hi Jesse, how are you?
I'm new to this group... so I'm not sure of your experiences or any others for that matter (-: Nor am I certain of the protocol re offering info...
From what I've learnt in my very small time in the ASD World... There are some good practitioners in Australia that look at the individual and treat underlying issues ie: test mineral levels etc. Emerging research www.mindd.org - indicates that seemingly unrelated childhood conditions are being driven by toxicity combined with poor nutrition (ie some kids have such a limited diet - some just won't eat) that compromises the child's ability to detoxify. The result is inflammation and oxidative stress (rusting of the body) triggered by an immune system that is unable to handle stresses it did not evolve to handle. Allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, learning & mood disorders share underlying Metabolic, Immunologic, Neurologic, Digestive and Developmental conditions that often affect the mind (hence Mindd).
There are effective Integrative healthcare treatments available to treat and prevent these conditions. By recognising that diet and environment can trigger genetic expression, we can take charge of our children's health as well as that of future generations. Best outcomes lie in teams of trained Integrative professionals and educated parents.
I'm happy for you to email me privately should you like a list of Practitioners and Regional Seminars with lots more info. Hopefully some of this info helps?
No vested interests.
Kindest regards
Rhonda (-:
Healthcare treatments
Hi, I am new to this site and AS, my 17yo daughter was diagnosed last week and has many health issues that all revolve around gastrointestinal problems, food allergies with the end result of eating problems. I would love a list of Practitioners and Regional Seminars.
Marianne
treatment and regions
This website (A4) is national ... we would need to know what region, or even state, you are interested in.
I suggest you look for two types of help for your daughter. Treatment for "gastrointestinal problems, food allergies" etc. is likely to be independent to your daughter's AS. Treatment may be complicated by communication and behaviour issues that relate to her AS so consultations could need more time and patience. There are provisions in the health care system to fund this ... your GP should know about them and how you can access them.
The second challenge is your daughter's "eating problems". It sounds like these need to be treated. Opinions vary as to what may work. You could talk to both a behavioural specialist (hopefully with good skills in AS) and an eating specialist. Again, your GP may be able to refer you and your daughter. If they cannot work together you and your daughter may need to bring the two perspectives together yourselves. Is your daughter's view that she has a problem? If not, you may need to work through that issue first.
I hope this helps.
Medication
Hi Jesse
Please if you dont need to medicate then dont especially at the request of a school it is not their place to say that to you.
I believe you should seek some medical advise especially about the bad temper it could be hormones it could be his lack of understanding of a situation or just total frustration all of which can be fixed naturally.
If you personall felt his temper was extreme then you should still seek medical advise.
Try to find the underlying cause first before medication.
Hope this helps
Jan
hi Jesse. life with autism
hi Jesse. life with autism (in my case aspergers) is and will always be very challenging for you as the parent of such child. as an autism suffer, i can tell you ive tried many things over the years to deal with manny of it's NASTY sympoms like the depression bieng anxious, flipping out over what others see as trivial etc.
manny of these drugs i have tried mostly for the depression side (accute extreme) are far for dangerous than doctors would have you believe! with side affects that are HORRIBLE! and far outway any so-called benifit. not to mention that those so-called benifits soon revert back to nothing.
I am now 35yo and was only diagnosed with asperges at age 30 as my sister works / teaches such children and relised that this may be the issue. life for me was always hard and to look into it and see written down all the Atypical symtoms i have always had trouble with and to finaly understand why.. brough tears to my eyes.
I had gone "off the rails" many times and got mixed in with the wrong sort of people and drug abbuse etc.
this of cause not helping anyone! i became a pot smoker for about 20 years here where it is not legal! and just led to fines and court charges etc.
further frustrating me. i am aware of the benifits and detrements of using such and will not recoment this to anyone without it bieng approved. you may look further into that if ur curious. i am not a drug advocate in any way shape or form. i have recently been charged again. and now will not use such as i have found a drug that works for me and while it is not recongnised as a treatment for autism i have found it to be a mirricle for me. not being a doctor i cannot recomend anything to you but can however talk of my expiriance with drugs over the years.
now for the good part.
I have looked at manny things and was taking 2mg valium for the anxiety part of this disorder. i found it did help me for a while but did not help me to focus on work, study, keep calm and active therefore benifiting me or my community. but what i have found and been taking for the last week and for me, i cannot express how wonderfull and affective this has been =) is simply cutting a 30mg codine phosphate tablet(prescription) into quarters and taking 1 quarter a day (7mg) while this dose is not enough to induce a feeing of euphoria. it does give me the abillity to focus, maintain high energy levels, learn, retain information, become more able to comunicate / be social, work hard, stop flipping out over trivial things (tantrums), and become an active and polite working member of my comunity.
while am in in the early stages of my trials with such, i am truly amazed at how great my life (otherwise very hard) has become!
this being said, this drug is an opioid and therefore does have an addictive side. im not sure if this would be good for a young teen like you have and i need to do allot more personal case studies about it. i THINK it is far less dangerous than all others ive tried and works a treat!
your doctor would be able to express more about this substance than me, yet there have to my knowlege been NO clinical trials of such for autism mannagment. i found this kind of by accident but so far am TRULY CHUFFED with the results.
talk to your doctor about tring it perhaps?
it may be that one day if enough autistic people find great improvent in such they will make a 3-5mg captule that may even be good enough.. i believe that when it comes to drugs, less is for sure better!!!
it not good to take any drugs at all and i dont like to get "high". i like myself , my health and my life. but if it can make your life, your childs life and quality of life better with little or no side effects then your onto a winner!
note, all my life from about age 3-4 my parents have tried all kinds of odd therapy, diets, taste stimulants etc. and never found anything helped with this condition (that was not even known about when i was just a little boy).
the reason for me joining this and other groups has been purley to express my findings and force the medical boards to look further into this frustrating and hard to deal with condition. my trials will continue but once again, i am ammazed at the almost instand benifit ive had and am now rigth back into work after some very hard times! i feel the best ive felt in years and am far more social than i think ive ever been in 35 years. for me it worked! i wish you all the very best in your attempt to find what works for you. good luck to you and your teenaged boy! =)
David.
(update) i have found a side effect of this that that does cost me, but i think it's ok, that is sushi! i am now more hooked on this delightfull food than ive ever been! but i dont think thats a bad thing =) hmm, might go grab another salmon delight i think hehhe. see what i mean? =P
Excellent read, I just passed
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on this topic. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him. So I should thank you for the free lunch I got.
Jesse - I know how you feel
I too have a 15yo with Aspergers with a very bad temper. He just smashed up the billiard room because I would not let him watch TV in there as he would not help my other son bring in some wood for the fire. Why should he enjoy the privileges of living in this house when he only helps when he is "in the mood"? I ended up calling the police because I had to remove him from the room which he refused to leave. I could not leave him there as he could have hurt himself or damaged something expensive. And yes - I know it's only stuff - but I've worked hard for my stuff and it's just me now since his father died in a car accident 4 1/2 years ago. I can't afford to replace the things he breaks and there are other people in the house that are entitled to use them. He rejects any form of discipline or authority unless he feels like co-operating. The police (and everyone else) keep telling me to set boundaries - but believe me when I say that the boundaries are set in concrete. He does not get away with any of his bad behavior. He often resorts to smashing up the house - but never his own stuff of course. I too have considered medication and have resisted so far because his rages occur at varying intervals with usually a couple of weeks (sometimes months) in between. I feel like its like taking a headache pill every day on the off chance that you might get a headache. I get lulled into a false sense of security. Even today I had a couple of really good conversations with him where I felt he was actally listening and taking in some of my advice. ... and then this happens. I believe he was frustrated at not being able to get past a certain level on a video game and so he did not "feel like" helping out. He is very intelligent but is not doing so well at school because he only does the work that he feels like doing. If he is not interested, no amount of reasoning, threatening or cajoling will persuade him to do it. I'm at the point where I would be very happy if he were to live somewhere else such as a specialized group home. I don't trust him. During todays altercation he screamed at me that I was going to die. If I walk away from him and ingore him during the rages he keeps escalating and smashing stuff just to get my attention. Enough said. Maybe its time to get him on medication.