My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

SN children

A bit closer to a diagnosis, but it aint a good one

45 replies

hiddenhome · 23/11/2012 12:12

started a thread in Chat here

Sad

OP posts:
Report
Allonsy · 23/11/2012 12:45

I dont know anything about narcissim i had to google it, but didnt want to leave your post unanswered i know how horrible that can feel. I wouldnt of thought something like this could be diagnosed in a child. A quick glance of the symptoms sounded like my 6 year old! could they have got it wrong?

Report
moosemama · 23/11/2012 13:10

Hidden, I'm quite shocked that they are going down the personality disorder route at such a young age and wonder if it's down to the family history and them not knowing what else to do.

I'm not a professional, but my Mum is a clinical psych and we have talked in the past about how children are constantly developing and changing from childhood through the teenager and young adult years and that's why it's impossible to identify PDs until they're quite a bit older.

As NorthernLurker said on the other thread, put the label out of your mind if you possibly can for now and focus of getting support to do as much as you can to work on what he needs to help him learn the skills he's going to need to overcome whatever it is that's at the root of his behaviour.

If it helps, my dsis's ex partner had NPD and their eldest is very similar in many ways. Her childhood and teen years were very hard on the family and she herself really struggled for quite a while, but she is now in her mid-twenties and a devoted mum to a lovely little boy, who is the centre of her world and nothing comes before him - so you see, things can and do change. She has had to learn some tough lessons along the way and I do think her df's genes had a part to play in her personality type, iyswim, but that isn't all of who she is and when push came to shove she decided to learn the lessons, take the knocks and make the right choices with regard to how she behaves and treats other people.

She still has tendencies, she has absolutely no appreciation for anything that the family, or anyone else, does for her (and they do a lot) and she is still very much, me, me, me, but perhaps only a bit worse than a lot of people these days. A few years ago everyone was wondering how long we could all carry on supporting her and getting a kick in the teeth back every time, we were worried she would never find her path, but she has and it shows it can be done.

You sound like you are blaming yourself, please be kinder to yourself, it's no-one's fault, it really isn't.

I know you don't believe it, but you are a fantastic parent to have kept on fighting and looking for answers for your ds for all this time.

Report
Ineedalife · 23/11/2012 14:04

Hi hidden sorry you are having to go through thisSad

I am sure you have but have you looked at PDA, or Atypical Autism.

Dd3 was originally going to be Dxed with Atypical autism because she didnt meet all the criteria for Aspergers but the psych decided to Dx her with ASD in the end.

Has anyone done a DISCO assessment on your Ds it was devised by Lorna Wing to help to diagnose those people who dont easily meet the criteria and often slip through the net.

Report
BeeMom · 23/11/2012 14:07

I have known of only one person formally diagnosed with a personality disorder prior to adulthood (and that was Borderline Personality Disorder - which has a VERY defined set of diagnostic criteria) and I worked in the mental health field for years. TBH, this seems young to me.

With that said, if this diagnosis will help with accessing appropriate supports finally, for both your DS and you and your DP, then perhaps it is a good thing (guardedly, of course). I can't speak to the future for you, but for now, don't beat yourself up. You didn't break your DS, you are doing your best to help and support him, and you have to take care of yourself in the process.

Report
Iceflower · 23/11/2012 14:19

What Ineedalife said.

Report
bochead · 23/11/2012 14:57

IF your child does need this label then see it as a signpost to help her get THE best professional therapies and support possible & the best training for you to help her.

I've said before on this board that there are labels out there that still carry as much old fashioned fear and predjudice as leprosy. (When people hear my sibling's "label" they just cannot reconcile it with the lovely lady sitting in front of them). The brain doesn't mature until 25, so you still have the best part of 2 decades to help her as much as you possibly can. The brain is VERY plastic and she's still only 6 - waaaay to early to get despondant just yet Wink.

As bonkers as it sounds you are likely to get more meaningful longterm help from the professionals with a slightly more unusual label given early like this than with one like ADHD or ASD just because it looks good on individual's CV's. Your child will be seen as an individual and you'll be offered far less generic but utterly useless "interventions" along the way, and more targetted appropriate help. It's the outcome that counts, not how you got there, or what it was called along the way.

As parents we can hit a point where we don't care what they call it, so long as the child gets the correct help they need to enable them to fufil their individual potential iyswim. Life with both a sibling & a child with different neurodisorders has made me cynical but hopefully realistically optimistic too. The brain is plastic & your child is only 6 still.

Report
hiddenhome · 23/11/2012 19:01

I know he's young, but I did wonder about NPD because his father is textbook and this is how ds1 is turning out. I'm shocked, but not surprised that this might be the problem. I haven't detailed all his problems here, but, trust me, he's textbook Sad

I'm hoping that he'll receive the right help and that might turn him off the path that his awful father has taken - bullying, entitled, controlling, dictator that he is.

OP posts:
Report
ArthurPewty · 23/11/2012 21:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ArthurPewty · 23/11/2012 21:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ArthurPewty · 23/11/2012 22:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ineedalife · 23/11/2012 22:30

Your Dd2 sounds sooo like my Dd1 leonie and although she is undiagnosed I am pretty certain that she had Aspergers, not NPD.

Report
EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 23/11/2012 23:50

Have no experience of NPD, but honking for you. So long as it helps you in dealing with your DS's behaviour, that's all that really counts. (((hugs)))

Report
ArthurPewty · 24/11/2012 07:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheLightPassenger · 24/11/2012 08:05

I agree with Moose. I wonder if they have been a bit too ready given the family history to make a PD diagnosis. I think try and read up about it yourself, and get clear in your head whether you think the PD diagnosis sounds correct. If so, as Boc says, pursue help/therapy etc on that basis. If not then starting thinking second opinion. As surely it would be a v complex matter justifying tertiary referral to differentiate AS from a PD?

Report
ArthurPewty · 24/11/2012 08:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheLightPassenger · 24/11/2012 08:31

Looking at the other thread, it looks like it is suspected NPD rather than a formal diagnosis of the OP's ex as well....

Report
londonone · 24/11/2012 09:30

It sounds like they are considering it rather than making a formal diagnosis. From what you have posted on the other thread about the consultants explanation etc it sounds as if he was also talking about attachment issues. Which given the way your ex was controlling you at the time of your sons infancy seems like a possibilty

Report
mariammma · 24/11/2012 10:01

Aargh, posted over there instead of here. Hate being exposed to chat, will ask mnhq to shift it....

Report
ArthurPewty · 24/11/2012 13:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hiddenhome · 24/11/2012 21:36

I don't know if he's got a PD. I do know that there's something badly wrong with him though. Nobody can be that unpleasant from such an early age through to adolescence without something being wrong Sad He's never been abused or neglected. There were some bonding issues, but I never ignored or materially neglected him. He was always well taken care of and given attention. It was just when he was very young that his father used to bully me and prevent me from picking him up and nurturing him the way I wanted to. I kicked his father out when ds1 was a toddler, then I tried to make it up to ds1 the best I could.

Apart from his father's manipulation of him, he's never been subjected to anything nasty. I've always tried to be a good mum and he does say I've always been a good mum to him.

The consultant (psychologist) said that anxiety and insecurity is what makes him want to control people.

What is HFA LeonieDelt?

OP posts:
Report
ArthurPewty · 24/11/2012 21:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ArthurPewty · 24/11/2012 21:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

hiddenhome · 24/11/2012 22:38

He doesn't come across like he has autism though. He can make good eye contact, he's sociable, he doesn't have any obsessions, his verbal communication is very good - he does talk too loudly though - he seems to need people and is very attention seeking. I thought autism involved a decreased need for contact with others and poor communication abilities. He doesn't treat people as though they have feelings and he is often blunt to the point of being offensive. He's dismissive, egotistical and rude. He can just about hold a conversation and let others speak, but will but in and talk over them if he considers their point to be less important than his own. His friend described him as a 'control freak' and the teachers also criticise him for not accepting others points of view. He easily hurts people's feelings and this is why most of his class dislike him.

He rubs people up the wrong way and is then offended and shocked when they kick back against this treatment - his father does this. He blames others for his mistakes, lies, won't ever accept that he's in the wrong, sees things in black and white and never compromises. He expects everyone else to defer to him and describes himself as 'being awesome'. His self esteem has been assessed and it's very high - he's not just bluffing it or covering up a deep insecurity - he honestly believes that he's wonderful. He puts other people down a lot - generally based on their perceived lack of intelligence, occasionally their look or social class. He's arrogant and boorish. The type of unpleasant businessman type that you'd hate to work for Hmm

He does have a certain charm and is good looking, but he can't keep the act up for long and when people find out what he's like, they avoid him.

He does have tics and poor physical coordination. He can't concentrate or focus very well - his private assessment came back that he has adhd, but nobody in the LA seems to agree with this.

OP posts:
Report
hiddenhome · 24/11/2012 22:41

I've always said that he'll either end up in prison or running the country Confused

He's interested in politics, history and sociology and will give us potted history lessons at home. He has strong views on what other countries are doing wrong or have done wrong in the past Hmm

OP posts:
Report
mariammma · 24/11/2012 23:00

Took my massive post off chat cos it was a bit too dogmatic for non-SN parents to read Blush Grin

This guy is talking bollocks. Narcissistic traits are not a diagnosis. Personality disorder cannot be diagnosed till 18 at the very earliest, and is a dodgy label before 25 (as said above). This is because so many people mature and improve well into early adulthood. Plus it's an incredibly stigmatising diagnosis and there is sod-all NHS help available for PD patients unless they try suicide so many times that the admissions start costing £50-£100,000/ year.

And one year of neglect is highly unlikely to cause such severe damage. Your ds was well-parented (by you, and latterly also your dh) for every year of his life bar the first. Adoptions of Romanian orphanage children have shown fairly conclusively that early deprivation does cause harm, but that most of this is reversible when the environment improves. Your evil ex messing with ds's head during contact is not sufficient to cause permanent severe neurological damage.

Read this by a mum whose 4 adopted dc have asd. She was fobbed off for years with talk of attachment disorder and early deprivation.

Now, I haven't said the camhs dr is wrong, but to be certain that a dc hasnt also got an asd when they are demonstrating clear evidence of lifelong poor social communication, lack of social imagination, and rubbish social interaction is a bit foolhardy brave. You can get a second NHS opinion from great ormond street, the Elizabeth Newson centre, guys/St Thomas, the Maudsley....

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.