Hi,
I
am hoping you could help me understand something that happens with my
son periodically.
He is sixteen and has a diagnosis of Asperger's, which
only came about 18 months ago as he was experiencing anxiety at school.
He is a high achiever and gets good grades.
When he is under stress he
cannot speak or write at all, he cannot get words out at all, not even
garbled or croaking.
He cannot write either,
he grips the pencil and presses it on the paper but all he manages to
do is break the lead.
This has caused some problems in exams and I am
trying to get the school to allow him to use a computer as this would
remove some of the stress he encounters in exam conditions but they are
reluctant. as they feel it would give him an 'unfair advantage'.
Does
this sound like Aphasia, would typing help 'bypass' the speech blockage?
Many thanks for you help
MD
AN.logo
The problem your son has. I had a friend at university who was epileptic, before she had a fit she was unable to write, this was often when she was stressed. Your son's experience reminded me of this, I wondered if it was possible for this to happen without a fit or with it being so minor as not to be noticeable. There are also forms of migraine (often they occur under stress) which cause a temporary lack of feeling and/ or control on one side of the body. I hope you get some help with this!
ReplyDeleteSarah Marflitt via Facebook
Dear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for replying, what you suggest re migraines/epilepsy is very interesting. My son has headaches frequently and it is difficult to know whether they are tension, sinus or migraine. I have now managed to get laptop permission for him during exams, with about two weeks to spare! I think whatever the diagnosis, stress was the cause and using a laptop has reduced the stress so hopefully he will be able to complete his exams without too much problem!
Thank you so much for you concern, Miranda
Dear Miranda
ReplyDeletethank you for your contacting us and I'm sorry to hear of you sons predicament.
we are not aware of any possible link between Asperger's and aphasia. However, I've had similar experiences some years ago when under extreme stress but have to add that was already aphasic [through stroke], and I would attribute these episodes to being at a temporary "loss of words" rather than being aphasic. However, aphasia can be 'transient' such as immediately after a stroke until the patient eventually recovers all communication.
We have very positive experiences with 'Eurythmy' and 'Chi Gong' exercises that can help stress. more here and scroll down to 'Anthroposophical Therapies'
I'm sorry that I'm unable to give you a more precise answer to your question
kind regards, Jenny
Dear Jenny (for Miranda),
ReplyDelete.. it is very common for students with Asperger Syndrome to experience anxiety to do with exams. The effect of anxiety in individuals with AS can certainly have an effect on their behaviour and ability to process further information. I understand that the male is having difficulties speaking or writing at times of having his exams. It could be possible that this is happening due to his high levels of anxiety, but this would be more extreme than most individuals. Everyone with autism presents differently and has their own effect of anxiety, so it is difficult for me to say for definite whether this is a characteristic of his AS.
I would be interested to know if he is like this in other areas of anxiety. For example, are there other times (social interactions, going shopping) where he shows anxiety in this way? Or is it just with exams? If it is just with exams, it may be that he needs further support when doing these exams. It could also be that the environment he is in is too much for him to take: is it a large room where there are lots of other students? Are the questions ambiguous? Or are there background noises that he is struggling with? What might be useful is for the school to look at supporting him in these areas. For example, could he be moved to another room, where it is quieter and background noise is reduced? Could he get more support with analysing the questions?
I have included our information on exam guidelines for parents and teachers that you might find useful to show you the kind of difficulties children with autism face with regard to exams.
We have a directory (www.autism.org.uk/directory) where we can search for diagnostic services that can offer additional services, such as behavioural strategies or advice. These services will have professionals, such as Psychologists and Psychiatrists, who are specialised in Autism Spectrum Disorders, who it might be beneficial for the family to contact to investigate what the cause of the behaviour is. Please let us know if you would like us to do this search for you.
I hope this information has been useful to you Jenny; please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any further questions.
Kind Regards,
Anna
Specialist Helpline Adviser
NAS Autism Helpline: Tel 0808 800 4104 Mon-Fri, 10-4pm, Free from landlines and most mobile networks
Email: autismhelpline@nas.org.uk
www.autism.org.uk