The difference between AS and HFA

[Eva]

Hi,

 

I know this is getting back to basics, but I've noticed in a lot of literature that the terms AS and HFA are often used interchangeably, or someone has AS if there has been no language delay/disorder, although now some professionals are saying that people with AS can have language delays/disorders. (This is a bit disjointed because boys are fighting and it's only 7.30).

 

I'm wondering where my son fits in. He has SPD, auditory processing problems, is not good socially, rigid in what he talks, his interests come and go, poor fine motor skills, won't poo, can read, has an excellent sense of direction and can direct me using street names to places, loves routines...

 

I'm sure I've missed out heaps. What else is there? (I"ve read the diagnostic criteria but I can relate better when a parent talks about it).

 

Thanks all,

 

Eva

[Zemanski]

nothing to do with language disorders as such - almost all AS and autistic people have these, particularly SPLD,, the diagnostic criteria only use delay in speech to differentiate AS and autism - if your child did not speak properly before 3 then the diagnosis should be autism (HFA just meaning that they can function and communicate at a reasonalble level)

but many consultants give AS as the diagnosis is speech has caught up.

 

Zemanski

[Stephanie]

We are at the crossroads between HFA and AS too, he is hovering somewhere in between.

 

A lady who attends our support group has a child with AS and a child with autism, she defined the difference as - "children with Aspergers want to be social and make friends but don't know how, and children with AS don't want to be social or make friends".

 

I don't know how true this is, but this is another quote that is making me favour him having AS.

 

Who knows, who cares ... I love him whatever!

[call me jaded]

My, ahem, low functioning child takes a very long time to get to his classroom because of all the socialising he's doing in the corridor.

 

I personally feel the two terms are interchangable.

[Bullet]

Can I ask a question? Ds1 has got lots of delayed echolalia but no words that are applied in their right context and he doesn't talk TO people. Is he still counted as verbal?

[Zemanski]

I think that counts as speech delay, Bullet.

 

At the moment the powers that write the diagnostic criteria are debating this very point, many people think it is an artificial distinction and they new DSM-V due to be published in 2010 should clarify the position diagnostically - there is actually a move to abandon the AS diagnosis altogether because the distinctions between the two are so blurred at the moment. If they do the diagnosis will probably be autism for all but with distinctions between 'Kanner type autism' and 'Asperger type autism' alongside other possible subgroups.

 

The advantage of a diagnosis of autism is that no one considers it 'mild' and it is easier to get proper resources in most cases - AS kids miss out on a lot because of the 'mild' label, especially in education.

 

The idea that one group wish to socialise and the other doesn't is a misconception and nothing to do with diagnostic criteria, I personally know autistic children who are far more interested in social interaction than my aloof AS son.

 

Zemanski

[UltraMum]

My observation would be that the main difference between HFA and AS is 'fretting'

 

AS children seem to worry more about things than HFA children ... they seem more oblivious ...

Just a parental observation ... may be barking up the wrong street totally!

[Eva]

In that case, my son is definitely AS as he is anxious about so many things, like the school bell, pooing, not being able to things right the first time, etc. From my (limited) experience, it seems that over here, children are dx AS if they are competent talkers and HFA if they aren't as fluent. (My son incidentally has a slight British accent, enough to be noticed by people! I can't quite figure out which region of Britain his accent's from, sometimes it's sort of Scottish, sometimes Welsh and sometimes an 'educated' news-reader type of accent). (My mum's from East London originally. Could it be an inherited gene thing? Lol).

 

Temple Grandin has always said she's HFA and not AS.

 

There's been a suggestion that Tony Attwood is AS too.

 

Have a good day everyone!

 

Eva

[Elouise]

Nathan did not speak untill past three and then it was all echo. His vocabulary was 'eeee' Ingu, ple (fruit) , arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Nathans communications was so severe we had to use photo cards of real things in the house. All I recall of Nathan is a wall of screaming smearing head banging aka the sh*t spitting screaming spawn from hell (his bad days were TRULY that bad!)

 

Nathan was diaognosed autistic. Thanks to LOTS of support from an autistic specific primary and now back in an autistic specific secondary he is now described as being high functioning autistic BUT with very complex needs you would expect in a low functioning SLD kid. Get them wrong and you welcome back a six foot plus version of Nathan as he was at 3. *runs away!!!!!*

Nathan can function on a surface level but cannot communicate at all well.

He wants friends but solely on HIS terms so things tend to implode then explode.

 

Sam was orgionally diaognosed as Autistic by a complete numb-nuts who managed to diaognose him without having him in his room for more than five minutes. *the idiot* as if I was not used to in your face down the spectrum autism . Needless to say I insisted on a referral to Nathans tertiary service team for a second opnion. Sam has ADHD and Aspergers. *ha I was right!* Sam had disordered speech with word finding difficulties but he also had more skills than Nathan ever could or would have. His intellect was less hampered by his ASD and his intrests were greater, trains rather than a single flicker of light on a spinner that was Nathans abiding life long love.

Sam would also like friends SOLEY on his terms which explains why he is now trying to build robots............Nathan cannot problem solve either. If he hits a shut door he tends to keep trying to walk through it rather than work out how to open it.

[OPooh]

My dad was told to use the "label" as best fits at the time.

[Zemanski]

Anxiety is a problem for both autistic and AS people and there is no significant difference between the expression of anxiety between very verbal HFA kids and AS kids.

There is an apparent correlation between verbal confidence and the way anxiety is expressed and so it may appear that AS kids 'fret' more because they can express themselves more effectively in general, the very 'withdrawal' of autistic kids is likely to be an expression of their anxiety and inability to cope rather than a sign that they don't care or aren't worried.

 

Another factor may be that, because AS kids must be of average IQ or above (a very arbitrary factor in diagnosis, especially considering how difficult it is to measure IQ in autistic children) , and because the presentation of their autism is less obvious, the expectations on them to be able to cope in NT environments are much higher and therefore they are subjected to stresses many autistic kids are protected from and this is likely to increase their anxiety significantly.

 

most of the proposed distinctions between AS and HFA are qualitative and are not part of the diagnostic criteria.

 

Zemanski

Edited May 12, 2006 by Zemanski