Aspergers V High Functioning Autism

[Stephanie]

My son was DX with HFA, he did have a communication problem which is now much improved, and he is very nearly at the same level as his peers but lacks in expressive language.

 

Today I met with a professional who works at a special school for autistic children 5-19, and she let slip on a couple of occasions she thought that my son might have Aspergers, because of his special interests and because of the level he is functioning at.

 

Is there a significant difference between the two?

 

If his language catches up, will there be a chance he may go on to get an Aspergers DX?

 

So the medical professionals think it's HFA, the Autism Specialist thinks it's Aspergers, A woman at a disabled centre thought he wasn't autistic at all and I think he has Hyperlexia.

 

Sigh and groan ....!

[kinky j]

hi stephanie,

 

what does your gut instinct say?? more often than not it's right.

I suspected there was a possibility of my son having an asd almost from birth and i didn't really know all that much about them. i asked my health visitor when he was 9mths and she said it was too early to tell but then, at about 18 mths, she kept pushing to get him diagnosed with hearing problems, as his language development was noticably delayed, dispite the fact that that i kept telling her he could hear perfectly fine (he can hear a sweet wrapper from 2 rooms away!)

i took him to see the hearing specialist who completely agreed with me, gave a diagnosis of comunication disorder and refered me to a learning disorders specialist. after an hour long appointment she diagnosed asd, a relief to get the dx but frustating that it had taken so long considering i'd been saying that for so long.

 

just remember, you know your child better than anyone else can ever hope to, if you think the dx is wrong then push for a second opinion!

 

kinky j

[Pippin]

P's consultant says that, although he fits the other criteria for Aspergers, he had to be classified with high functioning ASD as he had been diagnosed with a speech and language problem....even though that was no longer an issue. She felt it the label doesnt matter .....I'm not sure yet.

[Lucas]

I needed much speech therapy and still ended up with the AS diagnosis. These days you can always bandish an expert as if it were a weapon against someone else's expert.

[Steve_colour-se7en]

Hello Stephanie,

 

I personally feel that the question, the difference between Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism is and will always remain quite controversial, its an area in which it would seem that even the professionals cannot always seem to agree with themselves. I do know that the criteria in the DSM, which it would seem provides some differentiation of Asperger Syndrome and Autism has been closely examined with several reasearch studies over the last few years or so. criticisms by clinicians and indeed research dont identify according to an article by Tony Attwood, the disorder which Hans Asperger originally described, in fact the four cases in which he described the condition in his original paper would then be diagnosed, as according to the DSM criteria, as having Autism not Asperger syndrome. As such if you were to use the DSM criteria then, Asperger Syndrome would indeed be a very rare condition.

A clinician then may well write a report say with a diagnosis of autism, rather than the true dx of Asperger syndrome purely because they feel it would enable the child to have access to classroom support, allowances and government grants which they possibly would not get or be granted if the more accurate diagnosis was taken, now you can see the dilemma here for the clinicians involved. I also feel once the early language problems which are usually found in HFA subside, then I feel there is not much difference if any between the two groups at all !

 

 

Steve..

Edited March 14, 2006 by Steve_colour-se7en

[justamom]

Hi Stephanie,

 

I am re-reading "Aspergers Syndrome A guide for Parents and Professionals by Tony Atwood" and in the most frequently asked questions section there is a question re:- AS v HFA. It' s quite long sorry

 

His answer is:- "We recognise that there are clear difference between children with AS and autism, as originally defined by Leo-Kanner, on measures of social interaction,language and long-tern development but is AS different from HFA??

 

What is the difference between these 2 terms and do they describe different attributes? There have been numerous studies that have tried to determine if a distinction can be drawn between the two. At present the results suggest there seems to be no meaningful differences between them. They are more the same than they are different.

 

The term HFA has been used for some time in english speaking countries and contiues to be used by some clinicians as their preferred diagnostic label. This is due to a number of factors, particularly the polices of government organizations that provide services, and the lack of knowledge and training in the diagnosis of AS. Some agencies readily provided funds for a child diagnosed as having autism, but the term Aspergers Syndrome has yet to be included as an approved condition with associated entitlements. Clinicians may then be reluctant to use the term as this can delay or inhibit access for clinicians on how to diagnose the sydrome and the conservatism of certain individuals. Thus the same child may be diagnosed as having HFA in one locality but having AS in another. Both autism and Asperger are on the same seamless continuum and there will be those children who are in a diagnostic "grey area" where one is unsure which term to use. In due course we will be able to identify the boundaries between autism and AS. At present one may use a practical approach: use the diagnosis that provides the services.

 

I hope this helps

justamom

[Stephanie]

Yes in a way, I just feel I need to know one way or the other really ... and which is seen as the better, more positive diagnosis?? I think she labelled him as AS due to the fact that he likes dates, keeps lists, has special interests, food issues etc. But on the other hand, he has a vivid imagination, has some minor communication problems and social problems that are more linked to HFA. On top of this, he has been reading since he was 2 and knew the alphabet backwards at 20 months ... hyperlexia?

 

I just want to know so I can buy the right books and work on the right methods of education.

 

I guess I will just have to go with the HFA diagnosis for now.

[mossgrove]

Yes in a way, I just feel I need to know one way or the other really ... and which is seen as the better, more positive diagnosis?? I think she labelled him as AS due to the fact that he likes dates, keeps lists, has special interests, food issues etc. But on the other hand, he has a vivid imagination, has some minor communication problems and social problems that are more linked to HFA. On top of this, he has been reading since he was 2 and knew the alphabet backwards at 20 months ... hyperlexia?

 

I just want to know so I can buy the right books and work on the right methods of education.

 

I guess I will just have to go with the HFA diagnosis for now.

 

Tough question to answer. I would be inclined to say that the better diagnosis would be one that unlocks the most support inyour area. In some areas there is support targeted at Autism that appears not to extend to Aspergers, and in some areas there is specific support for children with Aspergers that may not be available for children with Autism.

 

Given the lack of consensus about how the two differ, I think you may find that the health Professional in your area are acutley aware of local provision when they diagnose.

 

In terms of practical differences in the interventions that the children needs for HFA and Autism, the interventions needed are very similar so it might not be a huge issue.

 

 

Simon