[IntegrationByParts]

Hello, it was recently pointed out to me that my son is very different. I don't think so but, I always thought he had Asperger's.

Things I have noticed are:

• He didn't speak until he was 5
• He is a loner
• He is only interested in Physics and Calculus.
• He never looks people in the eye
• He has no friends (not being harsh)
• He doesn't show any interest in girls (he is 14)
• He doesn't understand jokes and sarcasm

There are many more and I wish I could list them all.

Another question though, he has taught him self Calculus (single and multi variable) and Physics (he is teaching himself string theory). Should I push for him to skip grades?

NOTE: He makes C's in subjects he is not interested in (Civics and English I), when asked he says, "It's not important to me, I understand English and I want to be a Physicist, not a politician".

What do y'all think?

[Daisymay]

I think, from what you say, that he might well have asperger's. (My husband and youngest son have mild asperger's - others on my husband's side of the family have it too). The only way, really, to find out properly is for him to have an official assessment/diagnosis. That's the best place to start. Then he (and you) will hopefully have access to support and advice. Good luck

[CantExplain]

I'm pleased that your son has found something he is good at. But I wouldn't push him too hard. He deserves a chance to be a teenager, even if he doesn't seem to be interested in that.

Not every fourteen-year-old is "interested in girls". I wasn't really interested until I was seventeen.

[Shanzy]

Originally Posted by IntegrationByParts

Hello, it was recently pointed out to me that my son is very different. I don't think so but, I always thought he had Asperger's.

Things I have noticed are:

• He didn't speak until he was 5
• He is a loner
• He is only interested in Physics and Calculus.
• He never looks people in the eye
• He has no friends (not being harsh)
• He doesn't show any interest in girls (he is 14)
• He doesn't understand jokes and sarcasm

There are many more and I wish I could list them all.

Another question though, he has taught him self Calculus (single and multi variable) and Physics (he is teaching himself string theory). Should I push for him to skip grades?

NOTE: He makes C's in subjects he is not interested in (Civics and English I), when asked he says, "It's not important to me, I understand English and I want to be a Physicist, not a politician".

What do y'all think?

Asperger's is defined as far more than 'social awkwardness'. You'll find that many teens his age and beyond struggle with insecurity; I have noticed several using the label "Asperger's" as a means of comforting themselves of this. Furthermore, individuals with AS have no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or learning to speak, so I doubt that has any bearing to his diagnosis. The only patterns I would take notice of would be his lack of understanding of sarcasm, and his limited subject interests, though that is simply guesswork as you have not told me enough about him for me to make a proper conclusion.
As I said before, he may well just be going through an awkward phase, or perhaps his personality is simply that of a 'loner'. I suggest you do an in-depth study on the symptoms of AS. I would then suggest making him aware of this so that he can perhaps give you his opinion. If you feel that it fits, then perhaps it would be best to get a professional opinion.

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by IntegrationByParts

He is only interested in Physics and Calculus.

• "It's not important to me, I understand English and I want to be a Physicist, not a politician".

What do y'all think?

Maybe he just takes after you. "Integration by parts" is a technique from calculus.

[Resident Bipolar]

It's always a possibility, and you posting those symptoms got me thinking. However, back during school, I loved pretty much every subject and never got anything below an A (yes, I pushed myself too hard, which is why I ended up dropping out and getting sectioned before I could actually take the final exams)...except for in Math because I hated the subject with a passion!

The thing is, we're people talking over an internet forum. We can neither make a diagnoses nor accurately determine whether or not he MAY have Asperger's. I recommend you take your son to see a doctor or GP to further the diagnoses process. Create a list of symptoms and hell, do what my mum did maybe - write how they relate to your son on a day-to-day basis.

However I do also have to slightly disagree with Shanzy. Late developmental progress is pretty much always looked at during the diagnoses process of Asperger Syndrome...even if it is, in quite a few cases, just to determine the possibility of high functioning autism (HFA and LFA are both Autistic Spectrum Disorders...along with Autism). Also, contrary to what a couple of people on the forum believe, social functioning is a HUGE part of Aspegers - probably the most part, actually.

"Asperger syndrome is mostly a 'hidden disability'. This means that you can't tell that someone has the condition from their outward appearance. People with the condition have difficulties in three main areas. They are:

• social communication

• social interaction

• social imagination."

RB ♥

[Depeche_Mood]

Support him. Trust what he wants out of his education, he knows what he's doing. Don't automatically trust others about what they say is a normal educated mind and what isn't. The people who go on to do great things or revolutionary things in science could probably relate a great deal to your son. In my opinion, he's damn lucky to be mentally strong enough to defend himself intellectually based on academic reasons and not simple bias. Start looking into advance placement programs for college for him. I'm not sure of what age you have to be to begin formal college coursework, but he should have access NOW to college level text books to the level of his competence. Don't forget that everyone learns at a different pace, with sometimes extreme polar strengths in different areas, acquiring those strengths on their own at earlier then normal ages.

Don't get drawn into the nonsence of what others will tell you is normal and what is not. If he is only 14 and is already at the level he's at then that's a good thing. He'll spend more time on his research and less on suffering through his adolescence. My guess is that he's already processed what he's needed to on that front during his earlier life......Take him to see a hypnotherapist to see what your son has to say subconsciously while under hypnosis about the first few years of his life if you don't believe me.

Sorry to be so blunt, I dealt with exactly what your son is dealing with now in his life when I was younger, and I'd hate to see him have to deal with what I had to deal with from the public educational system. My knowledge was just in a different area of science.

[-jimi-]

If someone "has" Asperger's or not is sort of a sliding scale and the slider has been set differently for different times.

Sure, kid might have it, although he does fall out of the criteria right with what you describe. Asperger kids do not have language delay. It is one of the things that separates Asperger's from other types of autism.

[CantExplain]

Let him have advanced books, by all means, but let him stay with people his own age.