 | Talk to teacher (if your child is homeschooled or is a
preschooler, you should talk to other adults who witness
social interaction with their child such as a Sunday School
teacher or play group mother)
 | Ask her to watch for noticeable traits
 | Obsessions |
| Non-stop talking about unusual subjects |
| Trouble when schedule changes |
| Difficulty with motor skills |
|
| Ask how your child interacts with other children
| Does he understand normal behaviors and emotional
responses? |
| Does she relate better with the more intelligent
children |
|
|
| Talk to your child's pediatrician
| Find out what is average for a child his age |
| Ask questions about unusual traits or habits that she
may exhibit |
|
| Make an appointment with a counselor (the public schools
in the United States usually provide these services for free
and in our state Homeschool families are allowed to access
these services for free also) to have the following:
| Hearing test |
| Speech test |
| IQ test |
| Observation and counseling |
| Many school districts offer the following for free if
it is needed to maintain a normal level of class
participation
| Speech therapy |
| Occupational therapy (the school's therapist may
or may not be able to handle the specific needs of
an Asperger Syndrome child) |
|
| The school district should be able to provide
information on finding help in your area for dealing
with your child's specific needs |
|
| Make an appointment with a Child Psychologist or Psychiatrist
(most family counselors are not trained to handle the
testing necessary for Asperger Syndrome)
| Testing for specific diagnosis |
| Counseling for specific needs related to your child's
diagnosis |
| Information on finding help in your area for dealing
your child's specific needs |
|
| Neurological Testing (this will be necessary after a
diagnosis to rule out brain damage as a cause of the
abnormal behavior of your child--it will not confirm the
diagnosis, but it will strengthen it if nothing is found) |
| Find support and information
| Visit your public library (most people do not realize
that they can request that their library purchase
certain items or they can borrow them from other
libraries around the country for a nominal fee) |
| Check your newspaper for support group meetings in
your area (there is a group for almost every special
need imaginable--and if it doesn't exist in your area,
maybe you should start one) |
| Contact local University and Government offices to
find organizations that can help |
| Contact local churches to see if there are groups that
can help with your child's special needs |
| Search the internet for organizations and agencies
that can help you |
| Talk to your friends and family about what you are
experiencing and the special needs of your child
| Be prepared for some to attempt to convince you
that nothing is wrong with your child |
| Be prepared for some to blame your parenting
skills for the problem |
| Be prepared for some to blame your past for the
problem |
| Be prepared for some to tell you that they believe
too many people are just hiding behind labels when
to excuse bad behavior |
| Drop the critical ones off of your acquaintances
list and make new friends if necessary |
|
| Explain the special needs of your child to his
teachers and caregivers |
| Explain the special needs of your child to her
friends' parents |
|
