Real quick update: saw the new doctor Monday because Wednesday had an appointment for developmental disability services. This doctor isn't changing his diagnosis (and really only a developmental ped or psychologist can do that), but she says he's showing lots of signs of Asperger's Syndrome. I've actually heard this before, but we've never pursued it. We've always treated the symptoms as bipolar and she'll continue to do that. Even if he does have Asperger's, there can still be underlying issues like a mood disorder. Interestingly, if we can't prove his developmental issues are related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or some other mental impairment, we won't get any assistance. Bipolar doesn't qualify him at all, but Asperger's would.
Now I'm doing more research on Asperger's and trying to view his impairment from this angle. It's tough trying to figure out if his behavior is from a mood disorder or a neurological impairment.
