ASD - Does Diagnosis get broken down?

[Stephanie]

Hello fabby folks! Just a quick question ... my son was diagnosed with ASD a couple of months ago at 4 years old. He is high functioning (not sure what that exactly means) ... he is "ASD" which I've taken as "Austistic" and that's all they have said. Will his diagnosis become less vague as he gets older ... will they tell me where exactly on the spectrum he is? And how will I know if he has Aspergers? ASD just seems like a big umbrella to be under and I wonder if it will get broken down so we can know exactly what is wrong with him. As he is highly intelligent and has a few 'specialties' I wondered if it was AS, but then his communication is lacking and they have said that isn't the case with AS kids. Too many Doctors with long job titles, too much input from too many people and too much political red tape have confused me. Can anyone clarify from their own personal experience. Would appreciate it, thanks Stephanie.

[elainem]

Hi,

 

we are in the same boat although we didn't even get the high functioning/low functioning aspect. I did ask our Psychiatrist but she says it is not helpful to place where on the spectrum. For us she said it was more important to focus on our ds's strengths and flexibility eg his ability to LEARN social rules she saw as an asset - even though they are impaired he is able to learn them and transfer the learning.

 

I was disappointed as I wanted to hear the words HF or mild as though it would somehow make it less, iykwim. TBH though since then (few months now) i haven't really given it much thought.

 

A bit about the HF/LF or mild/moderate/severe. Someone may come along and correct me but I think I have started to understand that HF/LF relates to ability/IQ - so to be labelled HF person woul need to be average or above intelligence. Whereas the mild/moderate etc relates to the degree to which the ASD impacts on everyday life. I may have that one totally wrong but that's been my understanding and did help me as I had been thinking my ds was HF but looking at some of his cognitive test scores not so sure now.

 

Elaine

[helenl53]

I think that is the case. The HF relates to more ability with cognitive skills and I think is there to help with decisions about school placements and interventions.

 

I think that our kids are like snowflakes and that no two are the same, although they share some characteristics and strengths and difficulties as can be seen from the postings!!!

 

It is such a unique condition and I think that putting it on a spectrum helps NT's to understand. We normally are able to see a persons area of difficulty or strength or at least a reason for it. With Autism, because it is not a visually symptomatic condition, then we have to make prompts and terminologies to understand it.

 

We can easily see a leg that is broken if the bone is coming through, and if we are not sure, we can take an x ray and it all becomes terribly clear, but with Autism we do not have equipment that makes it all become clearer.

 

Best wishes

 

Helen