high functioning autism

[hev]

when im looking at residential schools i keep seeing high fuctioning autism,whats it mean please?thanks

[elun1]

Hi

If you think of autism as a spectrum, like a rainbow, people with HFA would theoretically display less severe impairments on the triad. I believe that the difference between a diagnosis of AS and HFA is based on language development i.e. those with AS have no clinically significant delay in language development whereas those with HFA do.

hth Elun xx

[Bard]

when im looking at residential schools i keep seeing high fuctioning autism,whats it mean please?thanks

 

I think it's often used as an alternative to AS.

[Mumble]

Hi Hev,

 

I'm a bit tentative in answering this, cause I don't want people to pick up on any bits, so please just take this as very very general.

 

High functioning refers to higher cognitive skills (intelligence if you want) - what some people might term the more 'able' end of the autistic spectrum. There is a lot of debate as to whether HFA (high functioning autism) and Asperger Syndrome (AS) are the same or separate diagnoses. It tends to be that they present similarly, but if there was language delay, you would be diagnosed HFA, if there wasn't language delay you would be diagnosed AS. However, the terms are used interchangably. There is of course a lot more to this. If you want some books on this, I could probably find something.

 

I think for what you need, a school that says it caters for HFA would be suitable for AS.

 

Mumble

[krystaltps]

At the Tony Attwood talk, he displayed a graph showing development of autistim, AS and HFA from babyhood to late teens. The only difference between HFA and AS was a slower start for HFA (language delay), but their trajectory was the same as AS by about 3-4 years of age. So they probably encompass AS with the term HFA.

Edited May 18, 2007 by krystaltps

[pearl]

What Mumble said. JP's friend is HFA, didnt speak till turned 5. JP is Aspergers & had no language delay.

 

Its really hard to put my finger on it but E is subtly different from JP. Less self aware, more in his own world, clearly intelligent but at the mo unlikely to hold down a job or live independently. It broke my heart, I was telling my support group about JP's apprenticeship & hadnt noticed E sitting quietly in the corner, he suddenly piped up, am I as good as JP? I felt awful.

 

Thats just him though it wouldnt do to generalise.

Edited May 19, 2007 by pearl

[sandyn]

Hi, my son has been dx with HFA and had no speech delay whatsoever. He wasn't dx until 7 and at the time the doctor felt that he didn't "tick all the boxes" for a dx of AS. She believes that if she had seen him when he was 4 or 5 she would have no problems with dx AS but believes he has "learnt" a lot of the problems HFA and AS people have. For example, if he looks at a photograph of someone he can understand how they are feeling by their facial expression, however, he would not necessarily understand how someone sitting next to him was feeling (even if they were pulling the same face). He doesn't take things literally and understands jokes.

 

However, he does show alot of HFA / AS traits - he is extremely intelligent, has huge social communication problems, doesn't understand the concept of sharing, turn taking etc., he has obsessions (currently pokemon) and talks continously about it whether the person is listening or not. He hates change and we have some humdingers over that too!!

 

 

 

Sandra

x

[Tally]

HFA is generally defined as autism with an IQ of above 70 (below 70 = LFA), and a "significant speech delay." In Asperger's there is either no speech delay, or a minor delay, but that doesn't mean the person understands speech any better. Once speech develops though, there is no difference between AS and HFA in terms of type or severity of symptoms. There's no reason why a person with AS couldn't have more difficulties than a person with HFA, it's all about the speech delay. I have a Tony Attwood book about Asperger's, and it says it is relevant to HFA as well.

[mummy]

I have read all your replies with interest.

having researched this both on the internet and in books I had come to the conclusion that in the States the same condition tends to be HFA that is AS in Britain. In other word it is the same condition but the name depends on where you live.

My son is Dx AS but had speech delay. He still had no communication or language at 2 so then had speech therapy. he began to communicate very quickly and by 4 was very chatty but his sounds were not clear. i would say his speech did not become clear until around 7 years.

He now speaks well but has trouble with 'R' He was initially Dx dyspraxic as his motor skills were also delayed. he was Dx AS at 11.

Now he is 13, in top sets at high school with 2 or 3 good friends at school (None at home). He is quite childish and immature, has poor self esteem and not brilliant social awareness. he understands how people are feeling most of the time but doesn't understand WHY they are feeling, if that makes sense.

 

would HFA be a more appropriate Dx?

[Tally]

It depends if the speech delay is significant. I don't know how speech normally develops, but I know that I did not say any words until just after my 2nd birthday, but then very quickly started using sentences. Although, apparently, that is a delay, it is not considered significant, and my diagnosis is Asperger's. I wonder if your son's diagnosis is Asperger's despite his language delay because the delay was caused by a physical difficulty rather than a lack of motivation to speak . . . it's all a bit confusing and arbitrary really . . . it might be that HFA would be more correct.

[Noetic]

HFA is autism with generally good intelligence.

 

By the way: You don't need a speech delay for a diagnosis of autism, it's either a delay or an abnormal use of language (echolalia, not using it to communicate etc.) that counts. (Only 3 of Kanner's original 11 cases were nonverbal, and several spoke quite early - they just did not use speech for communication)

 

Being able to speak does not mean you use that speech to communicate .

 

With AS there is generally less of a problem with this side of things, i.e. regardless of when speech started, language skills are generally better and while communication is often one-sided, speech is mostly used to communicate (there is more of a need/desire to communicate, even if it is one-sided and in the form of monologues). Whereas with HFA there tends to be less communication, even if language skills are superficially better than in more severely autistic kids.

Edited May 20, 2007 by Noetic

[peppa]

Im a little confused now, dd's diagnosis was written as, (High Functioning Autism: I.e Aspergers Syndrome).

 

I was told she was given this diagnosis as although she was an early talker, her understanding of language is delayed, as after about a three or four word instruction she struggles to understand. Also her use of language is often jumbled.

 

However her SALT, senior SALT and SEN teacher believe she may fit a diagnosis of AS more so, based on intelligence? But say as she's only 3 a diagnosis of AS isn't usually given until 5 ish?

 

I feel the diagnosis of HFA is possibly more appropriate to her as although she has a very good vocabulary for her age, and can hold a conversation to a point, she quite often uses irrelevant words, and does have difficulty understanding the flow of language sometimes, e.g (does not understand "why") I also didn't think intelligence was relevant?

 

When speaking to pead about this he said he believed HFA and AS are the more or less the same, hence the wording of the diagnosis.

 

Im confused??

[SallyAspie]

I think HFA and AS are basically one and the same. Apparently some drs tend to diagnose HFA in kids because they feel that it will muster up more support than AS. Also, some people may not haver heard of aspergers but if you say autism they'll know what you mean.

[MichelleW]

It really depends on the paediatrician - J was seen at nearly 3 and I was told he wasn't autistic as he gave eye contact - though he only had a handful of unclear words and didn't communicate.He was diagnosed with specific speech and language disorder. At just over 4 he was diagnosed as AS - even though he had significant speech and language delay/disorder. Yet the leaflets given to me by the paediatrician stated that speech delay was the differentiating criteria. Then at 6, J was diagnosed as being moderately autistic, and significantly "more" autistic than the children the paediatrician usually saw.

 

J hasn't changed over the last 5 years - though the signs are more apparent now. The only thing that has changed is paediatrician opinion. He has never had his IQ tested as far as I am aware, so that wouldn't have been used for his diagnosis.His last paediatrician said it didn't matter whether it was AS or HFA - he wasn't aware that AS didn't qualify for social services.

[Noetic]

I think HFA and AS are basically one and the same. Apparently some drs tend to diagnose HFA in kids because they feel that it will muster up more support than AS. Also, some people may not haver heard of aspergers but if you say autism they'll know what you mean.

I used to think they were the same but I've read and seen enough to know differently now. There's a fantastic book called "The Asperger PLUS Child" which deals with differnential diagnosis, and everything the author writes about HFA applies to me perfectly, whereas what is generally written about AS (aside from speaking before I walked) does not for the most part.