Our son has Autism,aspergers,And ADHD. They all fall under the same unbrella.It is hard to get the correct diagnosis alot of the time because of insurance coverages. Sad,but true.

you have been given a gift from GOD. I know alot of people do not acknowledge him however special children to to special parents. There is a strength in you and all the other parents of children with needs that are not the norm of society as we know it.See so many of us focus on the lack of ability our children have(as dictated by society)instead of seeing the unique abilities our children have such as strong visual memory and a learning way that is different from others but more concrete and the fact that so many professionals(I am not bashing those who have studied this field) have not been able to master the techniques that can assist them, they are then listen in a way society can cope,,,it does not mean that they cannot learn to function in society,but you the one person/persons who are closest to them and know them better than anyone else can teach them to survive and thrive in a way that is benificial for them. Autism has been around for over 65 years and because now they are seeing the uniqueness of this gift they are working to correct there approach towards it. They are making progress. But you as a parent have to also acknowledge the ignorance and use it as a learning tool to make you grow. When someone says something to you about the behavioral aspects of your child,alot of people may disagree but I appoligize for any inconvience we may be causing them,but being an adult I would believe you can understand not everyone has the same congnitive abilities as they do,and there is no reason for an adult to be rude or bulling to a child ,be polite and keep it moving. Not everyone realizes that some people cannot verbalize so they act out what they have in their thougts to say .Zone in on your childs gifts and abilities. Strenghen them. That does not mean giving into everything that they want. Make sure they are fed and rested prior to going into that type of enviornment. Take every day minute by minute,find ways on your own to develop her growth.Make sure she laughs every day.let her see your imperfections. Said too much for now,take care.

Your son and my son must be twins! He has ADHD and PDD-NOS. I totally empathize with you on the "bad kid" label. When I take my son out, I wear an autism shirt just in case. It helped one time when I was running after him as he was destroying Target. Two ladies looked at me funny. When I showed them my shirt, they gave me an understanding look.

Our Son was diagnosed like that too. First ADHD,about 2 years later they said he definatly has aspergers.

They do exist together, my 9 year old son was dx with ADHD by The age of 5.5 years old. This year he wad dx with asperger. He gets upset when something change out of his routine. He fixation right now is wrestling.