Our Aspergers Teenage Boy

Dad reports:
I made a mistake. Tommy spent most of the evening yelling whenever spoken to. I finally got Tommy in the tub and he lounged in the bathtub for over an hour then started screaming at his brother to turn down the radio (an unnecessary request). I had previously warned him that if he showed no sign of scrubbing I would bathe him myself. He started screaming at me when I entered to encourage him so I put shampoo on him and soaped him then he turned on the hysterics so I bathed him and in the end he forced himself to throwup. Now he is in the bathroom howling for his mother.

The puppy became so hysterical that she had to be removed from the house. The 8 year old and two year old are in tears. Cathy goes into contractions whenever he does this. I fear for the health of the unborn and the other children that something drastic may have to be done with Tommy soon.

Dad reports:
Either I was way off base in my description or Tommy’s tick has evolved.

His index finger of his right hand points then revolved in a counterclockwise circle with little to no arm movement. Simultaneously his head spins in a counterclockwise circle and each of his eyeballs spins in a counterclockwise circle.

He does this for two or three revolutions then pauses and either continues his activity or repeats the tick for one more cycle.

This one is quite a sight.

Dad reports:
Tommy’s latest tick has possibly to be his greatest ever. This one I may just have to get on video tape.

His most recent was to make something akin to the ASL sign for “question” although he didn’t realize he was doing. He would stop whatever he was doing and watch his index finger as his hand stayed perfectly still and his finger bent down then straight out then bent in and went straight up. He would do it twice then return his attention to the conversation or his eatting or whatever and after about a minute and a half he would repeat the action.

Now, whenver he does something like this he puts his whole spirit into it. It’s interesting to watch because he seems so captivated by his action and although it is totally separate from whatever he is doing at the time it is also part of what he is doing at the time. It is as if the tick should be as distracting as blinking or breathing might during a conversation; ie. imperceptible. However, to those having to watch the tick it is anything but imperceptible.

His latest: He holds his right hand down near his waist. He points his index finger. He looks out of the corner of his eye at his hand while holding his mouth agape. Using only his wrist he makes a large figure eight in the air (probably 15 cm) then raises his arm to bring his finger up to about shoulder height then brings it down to his waist level again and back up completing a large circle in the air and in closing his arm raises to head height with his finger pointing off in the distance and he quickly closes the action. It looks as if he briefly was directing an orchestra.

With his ticks if we acknowledge them they become cemented and it takes forever to see them pass. If we ignore them he tires of them quickly and tires something else.

Dad reports:
Tommy woke this morning and prclaimed himself “tired.” We tired talking to him and in short he said “stop it!”

Dad reports:
On Thursday Tommy went to his grandparents. Their plan was to treat him to some one on one time and help him find some happiness. He went there, they watched a movie (Ocean’s 12 I think), he stayed up until 4:15 am ( I think his evening meds were skipped ), then he slept and has been awake for only brief moments of eating since then. He doesn’t even get up to play his Nintendo DS. He isn’t always asleep of course. This has to be depression.

School starts back on Wednesday. I don’t see how it could possibly work out.

We have an IEP on Wednesday to review Tommy’s “re-eval” in which the school psychologist and a consultant for the school both evaluated Tommy. The school is pushing hard to label him “oppositional defiant.” Their questions are pointed and despite their denials the school administration is not good about hiding their intentions. They must think us pretty stupid.

There are two reports completed. The school has offered us a copy of neither and requested a “note from Tommy’s doctor for the IEP minutes” without further clarifying what should be in that note or which doctor should write it. If they expect me to walk into a meeting and sign off on something this significant without reading it word for word then they need to be doing evaluations on their on mentality.

I have been advised to call the school and cancel meeting until copies of the reports are delivered to us.