asperger childrens parents please can you come this way I am trying to decide if ds has aspergers or mild autism

[dispondantandthensome]

I dont really know the differences! He has one or tother tho I am pretty sure now.

Can you tell me the differences and Ill tell you have my son presents

I know its not an mn diagnosis dont worry I am just trying to get out of denial and get real that he does have something and work out what it MAY be

I have one with a dx of high-functioning autism and one with a dx of AS and tbh you could easily swap them around.

I think the only difference was the language issue. Ds2 (AS) had some single words by the age of 2. Ds1 (ASD) was around 3yrs old.

I agree. If he had problems with language than it's Autism, otherwise it's Aspergergs.

But they are both ASD. And it really really doesn't matter which one he has.

ah he is ok language wise makes words up and also uses great bug words (sometimes in context)

not sure which then?

I take it they are very similar conditions then in essence

how on earth do they tell them apart then really?

Aspergers is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

For now you might as well assume that's what he's got.

I dont think there is much between them but know some LA do more for children with autism than those with asbergers.
Dd1 has dx of HFA and think dd2 will fall under same dx

My DS officially has ASD but I when I look for advice I look at articles on Asperger's as I find it fits him more.
He had no language problem; single words at 18 months, senetnces by 3, but he was presenting strong signs by 18 months (hand flapping, interest in odd stuff, bins, manhole covers, road signs) so that's why the paed told me she chose ASD.
As others have said, nevermind the name, take the advice that you think helps best and that's it...

They are pretty mch the same thing tbh exept for the langusge bit
Ds1 has aspergers diagnosis because although he struggles with his speech and still needs salt for pronounciation he said first words by 2 yo and so didnt have an official speech 'delay'

To make it even more confusing, my ds with HFA now has very good language skills (spart from taking things very literally) but my ds2 with AS still has many language 'quirks'. Both boys love big words but it's ds2 who makes up his own way of describing things, eg his big toe is his "thumb toe" because he says it looks like a thumb. :o

Dd1 (AS)- loves routine, likes to be in charge, wants to be friends but finds it hard to keep them, sensitive to sound, suffers with anxiety, want everyone to like her, gets upset easy, can't take a joke, very verbal (talks like an adult), top of her class at school (loves reading), a bit geeky (loves reading maps and learning about space and a very fussy eater.

Dd2 (HFA)- doesn't care about friendship, loves numbers, poor communication skills, speach delay, loves routine, hates noise, hates being around too many people (crouds), loves to climb, flaps her arms when excited and when running, loves being hugged (deep presure), not good at following instructions and doesn't sit still for long.

IO think the main difference is the language, dd1 was talking early, dd2 only started talking at the age of 3 and is still delayed at the age of almost 5.

Yup, the specialists now mostly haven't a clue what the difference is any more. It seems that speech and language difficulties are a separate thing from autism.

It was a bit like originally saying it was autism if a child is autistic and deaf, but asperger syndrome if they aren't deaf as well. Or it's autism if the child is autistic and is a wheelchair user, but it's asperger syndrome if they're not in a wheelchair. Being deaf or a wheelchair user or blind or having a low IQ or any other disability can happen at the same time as being autistic, but it doesn't make it a different sort of autism. So having delayed language or no language can happen at the same time as autism, but it's not a different sort of autism.

But the official version in the USA (called the DSM V) won't be out till 2013 so specialists are still working off the old stuff where they counted 'severe/profound autism' as autism plus little speech plus a low IQ (three separate things combined), High Functioning Autism as being autism plus delayed speech, and Asperger syndrome as autism but without low IQ or delayed speech. (Though it might change in April in the UK - waiting for news on this).

Er, does that make sense?
I think I need a diagram/flowchart/strong drink after trying to explain that...

At ds's assessment feedback today, they said the dx for ds would be Aspergers, but that this will be changing in the next few months so that Aspergers is no longer used and the term ASD or High Functioning Autism would be used instead, so they would be happy to put either on his report.

Apparently, as more and more research is done, the feeling is that they are all degrees of the same thing so one umbrella term, rather than breaking it down into separate and distinct disorders and syndromes is preferable, especially as the margins between them are so blurry. They also said that a lot of professionals feel that other disorders and syndromes such as ADHD will also be brought under the same umbrella eventually as more and more is understood about the connections between them.

She did say that some professionals may still continue to use the old terms for another year until the European (rather than American) guidelines are finalised and released.

That's really interesting, moosemama - I'd heard that it was changing but I think yours is the first one I've come across where the professionals are actually giving a timescale that matches the info I was given.

DS was diagnosed with moderate-severe autism, but the last Indie EP who saw him said he was not very HF and in a couple of years will most likely present as aspergers.

So, if I'm trying to get him into a gymnastics class he has aspergers, but if I am trying to jump the queue at the airport he has moderate-severe autism.

Neither is a lie I feel.

Use the label that is most helpful to you at the time, and for the rest of the time just accept that he is what he is and have high expectations.

ASD is fine as a label, but I worry sometimes that more detailed labels can affect prognosis in terms of other people's expectations.

sorry, that should have read that the EP says ds WAS very HF

Amber, I think I put her on the spot a bit by asking a very direct question about it. They didn't volunteer the information, but I wanted to know if he got a dx of Aspergers now, would that stand or just automatically become a dx of Autism once the new guidelines come in.

I'm still mulling over what I would like them to put on the dx report, as I've heard of some people struggling to get support for an dx of Aspergers, which implies a dx of HFA or ASD is more likely to meet the criteria of certain organisations.

I'm kind of hoping they will put both, as in Aspergers/ASD or Aspergers/HFA.

As startingafresh says, sometimes it's handy to use different labels for different things. If I tell people I'm Aspergers at least they'll talk to me, but I get no help (and strictly speaking I'm HFA). If I say I'm autistic, they mostly won't talk to me as it's too scary, but I'm entitled to assistance. Depends which stupidity I want at the time, really.