Does having friends mean you can't be ASD?

[bochead]

DS aged 7 has always managed to make a few friends therefore he can't be ASD.

Is this true or not?

This is a serious question from a Mum who is sicked & tired of being sick & tired of the sen struggle.

Thanks runninggal.

Not sure if my son did that or not?

Autisic Diagnostic Observation Schedule Amber

They have two different types for different ages. One more play based for younger ones.

Ask for an ADI bochead Autism Diagnostic Interview and see where that gets you.

Both should really go together to come to a decision of a dx in my opinion.

I agree with Star it sounds to me that they are not totally in agreement re the ados if they are still wanting to observe him in school and that you have been given a connors form to complete. Reading between the lines I would say they know somethings up and are trying to put their finger on it :)

Social Communication disorder with AS traits is our DX so it sounds like your ADOS went the same way as DS. Not so much of an issue for us as his support doesn't depend on a dx in the same way (Scotland) although I do live in fear that that will change. It makes me feel SHIT to even think about wanting DS to have a more 'severe' dx in order to secure their support so I totally feel for you boch.

Thanks coff33pot, my son more than likely had the less play based one then I think.

My DD is being assessed for ASD. She also has severe speech delay and has never shown the slightest interest in peers in any setting, toddler groups, the park, preschool.
When did those of you whose ASD made friends start to make them?
It makes me so sad that DD has never been invited to a party or had a playdate.
It breaks my heart daily when a child from her preschool class says "hello X" and she fails to even acknowledge them. DD doesn't appear to need friends or even understand what a friend is.

BTW, she's 3.8 yrs and starts reception in September. I am struggling to see how she's going to cope. She doesn't have 1:1 in preschool and our paed is reluctant to diagnose her as she doesn't have all of the traits. No examples of rigid behaviour for example.

WF - sounds like you understand exactly how I feel about it.

Sadly his statement was only finalised in January via a Tribunal & the LEA have already tried it on re "misunderstanding" when the annual review should be held (9 months early - nah I didn't think so either). The school (and it's his 3rd!) are being rather loose in their interpretation of "conscientious implementation" too & I'm wondering at what point I need to step in and insist on various provisions.

He's still so vulnerable emotionally and despite great leaps forward in the last 6 months, he'll finish year 3 at level 1 for maths & reading against the NC scales. (A home programme has got him off the P scales for his writing). This doesn't sound too bad until you realise that he's actually quite a bright little lad so he is fully aware he's behind his peers, and it has a horrid knock on effect on his self-esteem.

aliceinboots - if you haven't already made a parental application for a statement - get onto the IPSEA website and use their guidelines to show you how.

Alice ds is seventeen and has just got his first friend, up until then he'd actively ignore any approaches although he has liked observing his peers.

Boch I don't know - DS new school hasn't exactly been the fairy godmother of provision that was promised so I'm trying to work out the same things (are you me by the way?). Am taking DH to a meeting with the head on Tuesday though so hopefully that will clear some things up. That said, Jan to April is long enough for you to go in on a friendly 'lets just sit down and review where we are' meeting?

Wilson, forgive me for being dense but isn't a communication disorder with autistic traits ASD? Could I ask which area he "failed" on to get this diagnosis?

I am interested as I am now wondering if this is the sort of diagnosis DD will end up with as no rigid behaviour/thought patterns, need for routine or meltdowns...

Nope, not quite and not according to ADOS. It's a bit hazy now (was 3 yrs ago) but the way the consultant explained it to me was:
ASD is a clinical condition and for someone to have it we look at a number of markers. For DS to get an ASD dx he has to hit all of the markers - so if you think of a graphic equaliser, we need all the dials to be over a specific line. Your DS is borderline for some of these markers, but nowhere near for others, so we can't diagnose ASD.

The caveat is that he still is borderline for some ASD traits, and ADOS isn't perfect. As he matures and as the world around him gets more socially complex, we could reassess when he's a teenager and find, actually, he is now hitting all the markers and has an ASD dx. Conversely, we don't know if he has a disorder or a delay - so he could catch up (three years on this is not looking likely to happen).

Now I know ASD is a life-long condition and I don't think the Consultant disagreed with that - she was more saying there are weaknesses in how we dx with such a young child, it is a clinical process so actually very black and white, it's not about the label it's about the help (Scotland doesn't have statements based on dx so that is true to an extent, but that was before the real truth of funding cuts started to bite).

All that said, we find that most ASD strategies work with him and we often use ASD as a shortcut if we're talking to strangers or people on the board or HCPs.

Sorry for such a long answer - the short answer is - no, but who knows, this time next year it maybe....

Last time DS was well within the ASD section of your graphic equaliser for social communication and imagination but just "clinically borderline" on social relationships so we got the label "social communication disorder with autistic traits" which of course let the LEA off the hook.

They did say they'd scored him worse for social communication this time round and the imagination bit is bloody obvious to a layman that meets him for 5 minutes, (the test was interrupted while he indulged his light switch fetish for a start lol!).

I think I'd be less worried if he was borderline in all 3 aspects of the triad but he's pretty bad in at least 2 so NEEDS the support even if the 3rd is only borderline. If I think of it as a 3 legged stool then without help for the 2 wobbly legs the 3rd leg falls down on it's own anyway in practice. I think I need to produce a simple visual aid for the next annual review with the LEA .

sympathies as the only DX my child ever got was "language delay with subtle social communication difficulties". whatever that actually means! would a private DX with a reputable practitioner help?

absolutely Boch, the label doesn't matter if the support is there. It's only when the support is wrong that borderline means absolutely nothing. I'm sorry the LEA is ducking their responsiblities.

Instead of a visual aid, why don't you go and doctor all their stools before next meeting???

Going round under the meeting table with a saw would be right up DS's street!

Don't tempt me WF!

I'd definitely go back to them and clarify the nature of the relationships. DS in his ADOS was asked if he had a best friend. He said yes - Ben.

Later I explained that Ben was a boy he played with a beavers once a week for half an hour, that he had never wanted to invite anyone home, never been invited home, hasn't been to a party since Sept 2010 and runs around by himself.

DS is noted to have lined up the bits that he was meant to make a story up with and then refused to make up a story :)

Keep going Boc! Mum knows best.

Thanks for your reply Wilson, it's worrying that suitable support can hang so much on getting a formal diagnosis.
I don't think we're going to get one and TBH, maybe an ASD diagnosis isn't appropriate.
SALT who reviewed DD today felt her behaviour and speech is that of a much younger child (2yrs approx, she is 3.8 yrs) and that she is not acting as a 4 yr old with ASD would.
Am going to apply for a Statement anyway in preparation for the future at school.

Oh yes, I would get on and apply for statement anyway. There's loads of statement experts on here if you need help with it.