feedback from psychiatrist on 'people looking small'

lovelyboy

Member
Ok, so was at psychiatrist......we asked her about our son seing people as being very small and himself big....She said that this confirms AS, that this is a tipical symptom of people being on the spectrum. She gave the name but I forgot it now.....said that this is a defence meganism when things get to much...a way for him to isolate him from the world, that she is not worried about it. She said that we could later do an EEG, to rule out TLE, but since he says it has always been that way, and not sudden onset, she dont think its TLE.....My son tells me not to stress about it, that this really doesnt bother him, he is use to it! ok....breath in.....breath out, breath in.....
 

buddy

New Member
oh good. did she call it depersonalization or derealization? That is what they mistakenly called it for my difficult child. but it was a sudden onset for him, then got worse for several years before they figured it out.
 
L

Liahona

Guest
Does he say if it gets worse at certain times (like when he is stressed by people interactions)?
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I hate to doubt a psychiatrist, but what???

I know my son never had this symptom.

Depersonalizatioin/derealization doesn't make things look small. They make you feel as if you are not real...like you are in a dream. And it would bother him. Since he is uncaring about this symptom, I sure wouldn't worry about it.
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
From an Aspie, sometimes that dreamy nothing is real feeling is accompanied by things looking weird. Sometimes it's similar to migraine auras, sometimes it's like looking at things through an infrared or night-vision filter. Seeing the size of things change doesn't sound like much of a stretch to me considering it's all in how the brain is processing what comes through the optic nerve then is delivered to the thinking centers.
 

lovelyboy

Member
Hi.....Buddy, no its not depersonalization.....its something with micro and macro-something.....but she did mention depersonalization....but that its something different. she didnt seem to be unwilling to do EEG.....just got the feeling she might wait till new year.....
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Hmm. Interesting. I'm going to figure out a way to word this so I can ask my difficult child. He is so literal, this is going to be a tough one.
Lovelyboy, I suppose this gives you a little bit of peace of mind, compared to seizures ... sigh.
How do you feel about the psychiatrist's take on it?
 

lovelyboy

Member
Terry....I do feel much relieve.....not totaly relaxed regarding TLE, might still do it next year.....Because I am still struggling with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) it makes me feel better in the sense that it confirms the diagnosis, but its also sad to think it confirms the diagnosis....Does this make any sense? I also feel sad for my son that he is living a life that sometimes seems so different to him and it worries me that this is maybe just the tip of the iceberg...wonder how many other things seems 'normal' to him thats maybe totaly not like NT people experience things.....because just imagine if I get upset about something and he really cant see it the way I do
 

buddy

New Member
Terry....I do feel much relieve.....not totaly relaxed regarding TLE, might still do it next year.....Because I am still struggling with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) it makes me feel better in the sense that it confirms the diagnosis, but its also sad to think it confirms the diagnosis....Does this make any sense? I also feel sad for my son that he is living a life that sometimes seems so different to him and it worries me that this is maybe just the tip of the iceberg...wonder how many other things seems 'normal' to him thats maybe totaly not like NT people experience things.....because just imagine if I get upset about something and he really cant see it the way I do

I'm sorry for the grief that you feel but am glad for the relief. When my difficult child was diagnosis officially in the medical community with autism, I was actually working at a child develoment center specializing in autism. Imagine, for two years I didn't refer him there. they have a mental health out early childhood program right next to the autism day program. I asked them to do an evaluation for behavior ideas. The two teams (Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)) did the evaluation together and said, yes, we know about the abi and the attachment stuff, but he fully meets criteria for autism and for now anyway, this seems to be driving most of the challenges...sensory stuff/communication issues that are not typical ABI or Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). I worked there and I was so shocked and sad. That confirmation just hurt. i think I thought if it was the other two it was still early enough in the process that there could be much more recovery. Not that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) doesn't make progress but that it is for sure a permanent disability. I had always said autistic-like but my mommyheart didn't want to really call it that, but he entered the program and actually worked with both sides and I was really so relieved in the end. SO, yes, it does make sense to me for sure. Huge hugs....it is a good thing to know, but it is a sad thing too.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Interesting.


[h=1]Micropsia[/h]By Gillian Fournier

A neurological disorder in which objects appear small and far away; the subject perceives him- or herself as bigger than usual. Micropsia is the opposite of macropsia, and can be caused by optical distortion, eye conditions, migraines, epilepsy, or psychoactive drugs. Another name for the syndrome is Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.
The issue is typically temporary in nature. Sometimes it is caused by epilepsy or Epstein-Barr virus. The main group of people affected by this condition are children between 5-10 years of age.
Example: The patient reports episodes in which the entire world looks shrunken, 'like looking through the wrong end of binoculars.'
Here is a more in-depth look at the condition: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-micropsia.htm
 

lovelyboy

Member
Thanx Terry...I've been doing some reading on this, but what interest me most is the fact that there is seldom mentioning of the link between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and this . What the psychiatrist explained was that my son uses this as defence meganism when overstimulated...my son doesn't see everything as small, asked him plenty of times...only the people! According to psychiatrist this is his way of withdrawing into himself....but interestingly he does say when he rubs his eyes it gets better.....wonder if I must give the eye doctor a call...had his eyes tested a month ago, before I knew this, because he said things look smaller, sitting with face pressed against TV!!!!! Can't do any harm?
 

buddy

New Member
omgosh lovely boy....Your most recent description flew me back into my childhood. I used to actually think it was cool to (especailly when bored like in church) just stare at the people in front of me....like at the priest. I would just kind of zone and they would shrink and kind of even have a hazy light around them. This happened for several years, I could make it happen after a while. It was comforting. I for sure am not autistic, but I feel like I can maybe understand how it might look....a little bit anyway..... The memory just came back to me so strongly. I never told anyone, it was easy to rub my eyes and make it go away and it was never scary or anything. doesn't help you any but it jolted me to remember it.
 

lovelyboy

Member
Lol, buddy......sure there is no Aspie hiding somewhere! :)
You are absolutely right! She said it is difficult to explain but that these kids can actually 'learn' to do this because they realize that it makes them relax! But it is also not volenteraly?
Thanx for explaining it in this way!
 

buddy

New Member
Lol, buddy......sure there is no Aspie hiding somewhere! :)
You are absolutely right! She said it is difficult to explain but that these kids can actually 'learn' to do this because they realize that it makes them relax! But it is also not volenteraly?
Thanx for explaining it in this way!

hmmmm, aren't we all a little??? ha!

I dont remember starting it on purpose...just after a long time I knew if I stared (maybe what others would call like a meditative state, but I wouldn't have had the words for it back then) It would happen so I would do it. I used to think in church that maybe they were small and glowing because they were holy!
 
Top