Autism Vs eccentric personality

[BlooDeBloop]

Context: A health care worker suggested my 12yo DS may have asd. He is socially extremely awkward at school but copes in his way and brushes off taunts etc. There are some anxiety issues we deal with. He is certainly quirky. Many of the males on my side of the family can fairly be described as eccentric or oddball (...actually this is a good description of me too 😆).

Question: what is this autism spectrum that potentially includes my DS at one end and on the other includes non verbal or highly violent people needing full time, respite care into teens and beyond? Or even the more common presentation we see on TV, the rocking, meltdown prone, OCD type of person. I just don't see the connection. Depression presents on a scale but one end looks like the other end just more extreme. ASD is highly variable. Indeed, this is reflected by the commonly quoted 'if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism' i.e. no two cases are the same. If none are the same how can we be sure we're dealing with the same thing when we diagnose and talk about autism?

Can anyone explain?

The majority of EBSA’s are ASD. It is completely normal for ASD to struggle at school. I was a teacher for 26 years.

The environment, the social expectations, loud teachers, crowds, the pressure.

The majority of EBSA’s are ASD

Do you have the stat for that because when I Googled EBSA and autism, the articles talking about EBSA do not state that.

As I’ve already mentioned autistic individuals aren’t 2d characters. If you look at the research by Newcastle University students diagnosed as autistic are most likely to be black, they are 60% more likely to also be socially disadvantaged, and 36% less likely to speak English.

How does this intersectionality play into the school experience of these individuals? If they can’t speak English can they understand what is being said in class or do they avoid school so they don’t feel stupid?

As one article on the causes of EBSA states

Sometimes trauma at home spills over – the pupil who regularly missed Thursdays because it was his mother’s day off and he wanted to stop her from drinking. Or the pupil who was acting as peacemaker in his parents’ messy divorce. If they are socially disadvantaged that will cause a lot of issues with school attendance

@Rob3bob I would say that 100% of our EBSA students are autistic or on the waiting list to be diagnosed (secondary).

I learnt it when l was working. Sendco told me. And the attendance figures at the school backed this up.

Take a look at the ‘Not fine in school’ fb group. They. Are nearly all ASD on there. It’s insulting to think that the problems come from home.

When we pushed our daughter into school she self harmed.

She is white, middle class and intelligent. It’s a bit concerning that you don’t know about ASD and EBSA.

It’s here. Not figures but a recognised issue.

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/education/attendance-problems

State school.

It’s estimated a significant chunk of private school pupils also have ASD. Thus far small class sizes has helped them - but I imagine if Labour wims and private school class sizes rise then even that safe haven might be removed.

There’s is an ASD school in my city. One of the qualifications is to have been an EBSA.

Its very worrying that you don’t seem to know or acknowledge this.

Again, does any anyone have any official data I could read on EBSA and autistic students? The posts so far are anecdotal.

So for DS the school did the referral, and based on that we had to fill in a very long form detailing everything in his life from my pregnancy, to if he met milestones, his behaviours from birth, etc.

The decision to assess him wasn't just made on what his school said.

They aren’t anecdotal. Would you like me to paste the entry requirements of my local ASd school? Why would they have that if it was insignificant?

The current thinking is to blame parents. That the kids want to be at home where it’s comfy. My kid wants to be at school, she was predicted 3 A* a levels. But she can’t go.

And it’s only just being recognised, so likely not that many figures yet.

@Rob3bob

But that’s not how research works, is it? We don’t even have official figures for autism prevalence in the general population. I’m happy to share published/peer-reviewed EBSNA research with you, but you won’t get your answer, because researchers/schools are desperately trying to find EBSNA solutions as a priority.

Also, what qualifies as evidence as opposed to anecdote? If I were to interview children with EBSNA across a range of schools/counties/countries to establish their autism credentials, would that be evidence enough for you? Or would it still be anecdotal?

And, in fact, in my horrible mediation meeting for an EHCP, the wanker from the council said the majority of EBSA is ASD. And he had the city wide attendance figures in front of him.

Why do you think special schools exist? They aren’t just for level 2 and 3. The one l want my dd to go to ( previously mentioned) does A levels.

Imagine if Labour win and fund SEND properly. Then there would be no need for private schools.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow Ds got his diagnosis at 15, got GCSEs (albeit in lockdown year so didn't take them) and then dropped out of A Levels even with an EHCP, as he completely broke down. After a massive fight we got him into an independent ASD/SEMH college funded through his EHCP. He's been there 18 months now and is attempting A Levels again in September. We still have a massively long way to go and even the college have said that progress is very slow. He won't do anything or leave the house much at all apart from attend college and even then refuses to go full time. He is academic but his autism and previous school trauma means there are still massive barriers to learning.
I often wonder what would have happened had he been assessed at 4 when his reception teacher flagged concerns about him and then appropriately supported. I think he might be in a different situation now.

Those that feel that younger children are 'coping' should be mindful that at some point it can all become too much. I thought Ds was coping, until he wasn't anymore.
I was diagnosed last year and consider myself in burnout now age 48. I can barely function much of the time and am mentally quite unwell. A lifetime of not understanding who I was, significant mental health difficulties and sensory overload. Now it's all just too much.

I actually find this post scary. People like that are supposed to be ‘helping’ my ASd EBSA. How out of touch is it possible to be?

So much empathy and sympathy here from me. Totally agree. Wait until they break down before taking action. 🙄

I think every child should be screened tbh. I wish she’d been diagnosed at 5 or 6, and gone to the special school in my city for level 1 ASD.

GCSE’s we’re the worst time of my life. She couldn’t manage to go to 2.

I’d question the usefulness of a safe haven that’s only available to the privileged few- and often only if they disguise their diagnosis.

At the end of the lengthy assessment session, the HCP said "so why have you brought this bright, happy, articulate and interesting child to see me?"

Good to hear of an HCP with common sense!

@YetAnotherSpartacus

DS1 is all of those things, and autistic.

I disagree. It COULD mean that it’s a strong indicator but it could equally mean it isn’t. It all depends on the reason for it. Plenty of people just can’t actually be arsed thinking of making anything different for their lunch because it involves a bit more thinking and planning eg when food shopping and they don’t particularly yearn for anything different if their usual lunch is tasty enough to them and fills a hunger gap and let’s them easily read the paper then get back to work. (No faffing with a fork or with mayo dripping out, or smelly egg mayo, no orange to peel, etc, with a ham sandwich and a kitkat! I can see the appeal if you want to get on with something else while you’re eating it.)

If you find food shopping tedious and boring then it’s easier to just use the same shopping list each week, you go to the same shelves because it’s quicker. It’s also quicker to make a basic sandwich than it is to go off piste slightly and start chopping salad.

I think I’ve done similar when making my own lunches in the past. I do mine in a rush. But if I was being provided with a lunch at work then sure, I’d go for something different every time if it appealed.

Also many older people are quite stuck in their ways when it comes to food choices and eye new things with suspicion especially if they’ve not had much money growing up so never really eaten out. Many are quite repetitive in their cooking routine so I can imagine that making a packed lunch for their husband, as many did in the old days, would mean the same things day in day out.

I remember asking DH’s auntie about how she enjoyed her son’s wedding in the Caribbean and she pulled a face saying it was lovely but she wasn’t keen on the foreign food. I’ve been to the Caribbean so know it’s not hugely unusual cuisine but when I asked her to give an example she said “well, you know, things like a red pepper, filled with rice and vegetables!!” She’ll stick to fish and chips or a roast dinner when she goes anywhere. She has absolutely no signs of autism at all.

It’s a bit like wearing the same type of clothes each day. Some people just don’t have any interest in fashion. They just want to wear clothes that fit them ok and look acceptable and have no interest beyond that. I’m a bit like that myself as I don’t follow fashion at all so don’t have a clue what to buy and I hate clothes shopping cos it’s boring and tedious trying to get the right fit. If someone said to me that I could wear the same comfy outfit day in day out that fit me perfectly and no-one would think it was odd then I’d probably do it.

I think it’s all about perception. Unless someone TELLS you they don’t like other types of sandwiches, for example, or can’t stand the smell or texture of them etc etc and shudders at the thought of a Penguin over a KitKat, then you really shouldn’t assume that routine-based preferences always indicate a degree of autism. It COULD simply be literally a preference.

DS1 is all of those things, and autistic.

It does not mean that all children who deviate from a very narrow norm are though.

They may well have it as a requirement to demonstrate the child is experiencing severe difficulties at school.

On other notes, I'm not at all sure it is inevitable an asd child would necessarily have a breakdown at school. If I am asd (as some here have diagnosed me), then I didn't break down. I know of an adult who so clearly matches what I have in my head as Asperger's it's unbelievable yet he's led a full productive working life, is married, owns own home, and never had a breakdown. Maybe there are unhelpful, unrealistic stereotyping going on here with respect to what a PP described as class 1 asd (known 5 minutes ago as Asperger's)? Maybe there are a whole bunch of us at large in society, living our odd, eccentric lives? Perhaps we don't need doctors to classify us into medical labels?

It's not a "label". Would you say the same about a mental health condition ?

It's strange how Autism is seen as a "label" but physical and mental health conditions aren't.