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Hi all i havent been on here for a long time. My son H has been under assesment simce the age of 18 months for lack of speech, first assesments they did nt think my son was autistic, then a yr later b4 his 3 birthday with only getting up to 6 words they decided to diagnose him with autism! Which wasnt abig shock to me! Im going to describe my son, he is very good at comuniticating nonverbally, and he uses alot of everyday signs with the few words he has, he is good at learning although preschool say he is delayed in areas apart from maths!! He is not agressive he is a very loving child, he does have funny ways, i.e he gets extra fustrated if he cannot do something, he doesnt like to spill his cereal pop ect!! And he has bow started to moan and cry alot which im guessing is from lack of speech! The assesment team have told me that there is a good school for him which is mainstream with a unit on the side! He does not start till sept 2014 so theres more time! I also have another aon who is 2 and has good speech and he fine no signs of autism! They tell me my son H should speak eventually as he has words now! Can anybody offer any advice or are they going thru the same thing! Has there child eventually spoke in the end? Thanks for reading

 

Suzanne

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Hi Suzanne, and welcome to the forum.

Glad you managed to get a diagnosis for your lad so early so that he can get all the help he needs when he's still very young.

It is a good sign that he has several words now and it's likely that he will build on these, but no-one can say for sure at this early stage how his speech will develop in the long-term. Just keep doing as you're doing, talking to him, explaining, giving him other ways to communicate what he needs. I think it will also be helpful for him having a brother of such close age, hopefully he will learn a lot from him.

 

Good luck with the new school.

 

~ Mel ~

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my son was diagnosed at 3 with very few words, some made up words and grunting and pointing was his main communication

 

He is now 5 and in mainstream school with one to one provision. I wont lie he is behind his peers, but he is speaking and learning new words daily. He knows all his letters and is reading and starting to write. i did not see this even 12 months ago, so a massive change for him!!

 

So there are no guarantees, but with early diagnosis there is certainly a good chance of big change

 

LisaKaz

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Thanks so much for both replys! Lisakaz75 i bet u r so pleased with your son, and it gives me good hope!!! My son is by all means not stupid at all and can learn so i dont see why he cant learn in a mainstream but i no how hard it is in primary schools, i do think they expect too much!! And his youger bro helps him alot :):)

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Hello and welcome, I needed intensive speech therapy as a child in order to speak, it was for about 6 months.

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I suggest lots of bed time reading or reading plenty of times and talk to him as well say the names to things,you read,he looks at pictures,point at pictures say the words,eventually he will say them too.reading is a fantastic way of communication and it brings you closer together as you bond,reading is also a great way of soothing anxietys,as his attention is drawn to the pictures and whats going on in the storys.

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hello, your son sounds very much like my son sept my lo can become aggressive but only when excited or very upset he is 2 years 5 months and near enough all his words are only understood by me and his dad. he learns them I get really excited then he looses them again but we will get there.. he has just been referred to SALT and that is it so far... here if you want to chat hun xxx

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On my diagnosis report it stated that I do have rocking and repetitive movements, but, that as there was no evidence on the day, I had scored zero in this respect. When I later chatted to the Psyche that did the assessment, I had the impression that if there had been evidence of this on the day, then I would have been categorized as having High Functioning Autism (HFA). The official conclusion was that I have Autistic Spectrum Disorder, but she also refers to it as Asperger's in the report. (I believe the ASD term is the umbrella term for all types of Autism though now?)

My question is simply to know what has been considered to be the difference between Asperger's and HFA in the past? I know I do all the various repetitive movement things at times, but is this the difference or is there more to it than this......assuming that I have this correctly identified as a difference in the first place?

This is more out of curiosity than anything else, but I have found that people seem to understand the HFA term better than Asperger's, and as I am currently applying for volunteer roles I want to explain my position accurately if I get to interviews, partly as I don't want to feel foolish using incorrect terminology, and partly my need to do everything accurately......which is part of the condition!

Any thoughts anyone please?

 

Sami.

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Hi Sami,

 

I don't know if I can provide you with an accurate response, but, I have come across some videos on YouTube which say that differences in early language development can contribute to a diagnosis of either HFA or Aspergers depending if you were non-verbal or highly articulate as a child.

 

Can anyone else clarify this for us please?

 

Thanks :)

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Yes, early language was discussed at my dx, but obviously I couldn't remember, and neither could my Mum really.....so I presume I must have been fairly much as most children are in this respect.........I certainly talk a lot now......mostly too much, and at length with too much unnecessary detail :)

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The criteria for dx is that if there was a speech delay in early childhood the dx will be HFA, if there was no speech delay, a dx of Asperger's is given.

 

~ Mel ~

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As stated - it used to be the case that Aspergers and HFA were distinguished in terms of language delay - so if there was no language delay then it was Asperger, if there was then it was HFA. Further research showed that that is not a significant distinction in terms of long term outcomes.

 

In a recent diagnosis of our son I seem to recall had different levels for Asperger and Autism - indicating the Autism diagnosis was more severe.

 

These days it seems normal to refer to them all as ASD (or is it ASC now) and that avoids all the confusion

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Hi Sami,

 

I don't know if I can provide you with an accurate response, but, I have come across some videos on YouTube which say that differences in early language development can contribute to a diagnosis of either HFA or Aspergers depending if you were non-verbal or highly articulate as a child.

 

Can anyone else clarify this for us please?

 

Thanks :)

Having language delay would mean HFA diagnosis, but no language delay leads to Aspergers diagnosis.

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I had speech delay but was told it was aspergers. I didn't start speaking until 5 years old.

Ok, there must have been reasons for you not talking which might not necessarily be down to your Autism. I was talked over by my sister, therefore I hardly spoke till I was 3, yet I have Aspergers.

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My son has a diagnosis of Aspergers. They didn't really ask much about his speech during the diagnosis process.

His speech was 'normal' it was def not early, if anything, slightly late.

His autism outreach team teacher said the difference between AS & HFA is that AS are more likely to want friends, but can struggle to keep them/make them and that HFA only really make friends if it benefits them.

I'm not sure if this is true.

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You can be non-verbal and either high or low functioning. If you look for Amanda Baggs on You Tube [i think it's called "In My Words"] you will see that she is non-verbal and also very intelligent and articulate. She communicates via her computer with a speech software.

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His autism outreach team teacher said the difference between AS & HFA is that AS are more likely to want friends, but can struggle to keep them/make them and that HFA only really make friends if it benefits them.

I'm not sure if this is true.

Interesting..... I like the idea of having friends....but it is hard work keeping friendships.......but I also see that it is a benefit to have friends....not sure where I fit in with this.

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Hiya, my son was dx Autism when he was 3, he only had a few words and they were copied from cartoons, he attended mainstream primary with 1:1, and bit by bit his speech came on. Back then I honestly didn't know if his speech would improve. The important thing is they go at their own pace, its different to peers, but thats OK. Also there is a difference between functional speech and conversation, his speech is functional :-) He's now a chatty 13 year old attending mainstream High School in an Autism unit, its fantastic. Keep doing what yr doing, get into the system and accept all the support that it brings. Autism units in mainstream are brilliant.

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I got my diagnosis a lot later but I also had delayed speech as a child. My speech varies from hardly functional to a fairly fluent conversation depending on the topic and listener. I have even stuttered through a few autism talks in recent years.

 

For me the pressure to speak is enough to start the stuttering off or even some of the snappy behaviour. I have some communication cards that I use to communicate basic needs feel free to PM me for details.

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Hello

 

A little bit confused. My son was diagnosed with Autism/ASD last year but we believe he has traits relating more to Aspergers. Yesterday I spoke to a mother who's daughter was diagnosed with Aspergers, but said doctors no longer refer to it as Aspergers anymore but call it ASD.

 

I'm now wondering if our son's diagnosis could mean Aspergers and that they just put all into the ASD category or would they use the word Aspergers on his diagnosis?

 

Is there a reason the term Aspergers is no longer used to diagnose?

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There are still people getting Asperger's diagnoses, but it's under the umbrella term of ASD, with Asperger's either said to the parents/person at diagnosis or written into the diagnosis as a descriptor. My nephew has a diagnosis of ASD with Asperger's specified in it, and that was made after the change in name.

 

The real crux was only really language delay, with Asperger's diagnoses not having speech delay and autism having some form of speech delay. Given that all the other parts of autistic spectrum disorders are spectrums in themself, it did make sense to me to remove a different diagnosis name that was based on one feature alone, I felt it was less confusing. I know others really identify with the term Asperger's/Aspie, and totally get that too, but that's not taken away. It doesn't apply from what I understand to previous diagnoses.

 

I also think that people who don't know about high functioning autism see a vast difference between Asperger's and what they presume all autism to be. Those people would assume my son has Asperger's, but he had speech delays when younger and therefore in a world where there were two names for it, and the world with one name, he has autism.

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its referred as the 'autism spectrum disorder' not as autism, just 'autistic spectrum disorder' covers all types of autism/aspergers/pdd-nos. I refer me as autism but when i refer aspergers, hfa, autism as a whole category i use 'autism spectrum disorder' but it depends where the person is. It was bought out in america

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Dan's diagnosis is of autism specifically, it was made in December. It was also written that autism is an ASD (which is obvious to us, but means they meant it as a distinct diagnosis). My nephew's was written by the same doctor, it mentions both ASD and Asperger's. I think if autism is still differentiated by some as they're not getting rid of Rett Syndrome/other distinct ASDs. To me autism and Asperger's are the same thing, and they are one 'orange' inside the ASD box, Rett Syndrome is a 'apple' (or whatever you like to think of to visualise it). I don't personally see Asperger's as being it's own piece of fruit, just that previously it was used as a name for a segment of that 'orange' that is autism. That's just the way I visualise it though and I can see flaws in that thinking too (like why I'm using fruit to describe individuals for one lol).

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Hi all new to the forum, i may a few questions as the aspergers is new to me and i haven't had a diagnosis as of yet (except as below).

 

When i was at school i was diagnosed with aspergers and adhd, it was a very new-ish subject and nothing was taken any further as my parents were just getting divorced, i am now 37

 

I have had a problem plague my life for as long as i can remember.

 

 

 

The symptoms i have are as follows: (some sound a little strange)

 

can't settle, chop and change in my life studying and working.

 

do not like meeting new people at all or going places i don't know.

 

I do not understand people or there inefficiency, so much so it can actually madden me, because it quite litterally does not compute with me.

 

My hand writing is terrible and spelling is passable.

 

I don't like a break from my routine.

 

Absolutely can be as rude as hell or inappropriate (not meaning to be), incredibly honest to the point of rudeness.

 

Has been known for me to fly off the handle at stupid things.

 

Totally impossible to change my mind over things especially if i'm annoyed.

 

When i do get annoyed its like i can't control myself and has been known for me to have a memory loss as well, like there is a fog or storm in my head.

 

I can work to absolute exhaustion and can't under stand why other people get tired.

 

I only sleep a few hours and my mind keeps spinning alot.

 

I obsess over my hobbies, but find them quite reassuring.

 

I can drift off easily and become forgetful, at this point i can talk to people and totally forget what i have said if my focus is elsewhere.

 

I can have panic attacks.

 

I have never been violent with it but it comes across as a terrible demeanor.

 

 

 

Does any of this sound familiar? there are probably more things i have forgotten.

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You sound like a mixture between my Aspergers son, who also has mild dyspraxia and my nephew who has ADHD.

 

Up to you if you want to get a diagnosis now, depends on what you want out of it really? It certainly sounds as though your original diagnosis was correct, do you still have the written diagnosis?

 

Not too sure how you feel about medication, but it did help my nephew to concentrate and to be able to stay still for a little longer......so could maybe something you could think about and talk to your GP about?

 

It maybe worthwhile writing everything down and taking it with you to see the GP because talking to him/her maybe difficult and then you'll probably forget everything you need to say.....even give him the paper to read himself?

 

Are you able to hold down a job?

 

Not too sure if what I have said is what you're looking for? Other's here maybe better experienced to answer more fully.

 

I wish you well. :-)

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I don't work currently as i take car of the children, but i have a masters in medical science (virology that sort of thing).

 

I don't have the formal diagnosis as it was way too long ago, its a good idea to write things down thanks for the suggestion.

 

I haev now been referred to a have a diagnosis done thank fully.

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sorry misread what you ACTUALLY MEAN'T!

 

I would also personally agree with the diagnoses you have already in place from school days , that combination of issues that underlying everything of AS/ADHD I felt I could never settle , felt edgy ,irritable all the while just discovered this is due to undiagnosed ADHD ( combined type) - just started medication last week ,I couldn't sit still focus ,concentrate properly for any length of time, lose trail of thought get high hyper excitable mood not be able to control , also racing thoughts that couldn't slow down and my body , bad ,poor memory becoming forgetful ,losing property can be common ADHD issue

 

struggle to switch off shut down rest sleep due to both AS/ADHD can cause bad disrupted sleep patterns not good as also affects your mood has knock on impact!, social side struggling finding difficult to make friends ,being bluntly open and honest verging on rude is totally Aspie , so also is hobbies that are or become obsessional common main AS issue ,meeting unfamiliar people or places also common in AS too , causing great anxiety , can be social anxiety which I also have!

 

I probably forgot to mention something ,somewhere in here too , sorry if I have! so sounds highly likely /possibility of AS/ADHD present , I would research ,investigate further - you have LONG ,LONG list just like me! ;)

 

XKLX

Edited by smileyK

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Hi, Aspergers doesnt just go away! If you had an AS diagnosis while at school then thats what you`ve still got. ADHD does ameliorate with age but persists in some cases into adulthood. The combination of AS & ADHD is not uncommon. Not worth trying to be re diagnosed with AS. There is medication that can help ADHD so maybe worth persevering with trying for reassessment. Otherwise check the ADHD sites. Lots of self help ideas and suggestions

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From posts on this and other sites it would appear that diagnosis varies wildly between different parts of the country. It also seems to depend on age and how much financial or other support woiuld be involved if a positive diagnosis were to be given.

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Try changing the title to "bbc radio 4 program Aspergers or not". I find radio difficult to follow hope others will be different.

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I have a degree in autism and through my degree learnt that there is very little difference between the diagnoses of Autism and Aspergers. In fact I wish my diagnosis was Autism rather than Aspergers because of my delayed speech.

 

You can still have sensory problems and be at either end of the autism spectrum. Also the place of anyone whose on the autism spectrum tends to be fluid ie move around.

 

Also Aspergers is being phased out of some diagnostic criterion and just being called ASD/ASC. The important thing is getting your sons needs met. Also getting your needs met as a parent or carer.

 

I believe in treating people according to their needs rather than their diagnosis.

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