So is Autism a mental disablity or developmental disorder??

[lisad123]

Im on the developmental disorder but someone on another thread swears blind its a mental disorder.
So what do we think?

which thread?

It is a developmental disability, obviously. But due to the society we live in it can certainly contribute to a mental disorder.

Developmental. ! However many people with AS/HFA also have psychiatric illnesses as well... not surprising having to live in an intolerant society:(

it is developmental.

I think the clue is in the fact that they do develop. Just at a different rate and in different ways.

If it was a mental disorder, they would be more static.

I think. That's just my pov.

although - what do they mean by 'mental disorder'? do they mean mental health problems? in which case there is a hope of recovery - which there isn't with asd. or do they mean learning disability and are using the (wrong) term 'mental disorder' instead, in which case it's more static because you can't change IQ and functioning levels in the same way that you can help someone with a developmental delay. Although in both cases you can teach life skills etc of course

If that makes any sense.

I think it's a neurological disorder - ie there is something different about my boy's brain, right from birth. That then means he develops differently. He has zero mental health problems, is happy all day long.

Oh yes, I think the developmental delay is due to the brain being a totally different animal I think you are right 'neurological disorder' is more accurate.

I agree zzzzz - the more autistic children I meet, the more I realise that every single one is COMPLETELY different. The only very vague link between all the autistic kids I've met is that all have some degree of social problems. But even that , when it can range from a) complete inability to talk to someone else or understand what they say, or even comprehend basic gestures such as waving to b) slight difficulties understanding jokes, or getting irony - makes even the "social problems" link in autism fairly meaningless.

Increasingly, I am wondering if learning difficulties isn't the real deciding factor. I have met hf autistic children, with a normal or even above-average IQ, who will probably live a normal, independent life. My boy has learning difficulties on top of his autism (or as part of it??) and still hasn't learned the most basic of independence skills - although I don't give up hope entirely, I keep fighting.

What do you think?

I agree with neurological disorder and our society adds the mental health issues

v good explanation Pip, hiyah! I wonder about my boy's IQ - in some areas , he is bright as a button but he stilll can't understand some very very basic things (eg 1 + 1). And of course it's almost impossible to measure his Iq given his extreme speech delay. But in general it is pretty clear he has learning diffs as well as the autism. Yet my DSD, who was classically autistic in childhood, has an above-average Iq and is clearly heading for an independent life.

You are right Pip - he did , though, have the non-verbal IQ tests when 3 and 5 and came out pretty low. Think I have to accept there is a lower IQ than his DSD - but actually he is so smiley and happy that everyone warms to him and he is learning at his own little pace. Reckon his progress will be more like - at 8, he is just coming up to a 3 year old. Without ABA, reckon that would have stayed at 15 months level though.

V interesting post zzzz. I agree that we need to differentiate the autisms, though actually to get a diagnosis of autism (not atypical) you really do have to hit all 3 categories of deficit (social, communication, imagination/repetitive). Scores in each of the 3 areas could be a good idea, though at the moment I think severe/moderate/hf is not a bad quick guide, though it misses lots of nuances (eg my son has none of the routiney bits of the third deficit, but does have lots of repetitive stims).

The problem is often that we all want to help each other, and we all generalise from our own experience. So, for instance, a friend thought she was being helpful to me the other day telling me all the things she has done to make her son high functioning - flash cards, written work, trips to zoos. I wanted to weep. I have bought a WH Smith shop worth of flash cards. I have tried every book, every trip out, persevered day in day out on language, tried TEACCH, tried mainstream, tried ABA. The fact remains that I am only ever going to be able to change the "raw material" of my son's autism by - maybe - 15% at the edges. And if he starts off severe, I'm probably only going to get him to severe/moderate. Not to mild. (Though some kids do seem to start off severe and be able to make some huge leaps at certain ages - like my DSD.)

What I do , however , believe is that if I'd let the state take over his education and bunged him in their woeful "school" , I'd have lost my 15% gain and maybe even seen a 5% deterioration (eg in behaviours). ABA was the difference to me.

God yes, some actual charts as to what results had been achieved would be great. But as it stands, our Special schools aren't measured at all on results - presumably on the basis that "those little kiddies will never come to much, no real point measuring their progress or trying to evaluate their education or teachers". It's scandalous really. That's why I guess we come on mumsnet and other sites, to try and get some objective advice from other mums on what has and hasn't worked. But even that is tricky to sift through - often I see people I know claim that, say, homeopathy has changed their child's life - whereas in fact I just see a child that has matured naturally from a mildly autistic 2 year old to a mildly autistic 9 year old. And the homeopathy had nothing to do with it. But a mum reading on here might go out and put her life and soul into homeopathy. All very tricky.

this question came from this thread.

one of the posters makes quite sweeping statements "Aspergers is on the autistic spectrum. Autism and all disorders on the spectrum are classed as mental disabilities. That is what it is. A lot of people don't realise this sadly with it being the new fad label. This is why the diagnosis process is so complex. It's a lifelong mental disability, which never goes away. Although many with aspergers are very successful. It's still a serious diagnosis"

I did have to when she said: Mother of two autistic children, so it's like teaching me to suck eggs I'm afraid.

clearly doesnt know much about me either :)