What Determines Level of ASD?

[sammythemummy]

Is HF determined by how verbal a child is or how social?

Eg:

Child 1 (Lets say they are both 3 yo)
Speaks in 1 or 2 word sentences, has expressive and receptive lang delays but is very sociable, plays well with other kids, has good eye contact with people he knows, no sensory issues and can read people's emotions.

Child 2
No speech delay, speaking may even be above average. Has sensory issues, does not do well in social gathering, has poor interaction, rigid routine.

Which one of these children would be classified as HFA?

zzzzz 'every thing is there but shuffled'.
I like that and I think that is true if you can isolate the autism. However I think that so many have co morbid features (ADHD, learning difficulties specific or global, sensory processing issues, speech and language problems, Tourettes etc etc) not to mention mental health issues as a consequence of their ASD (depression, anxiety, OCD etc) that it is very hard to predict from the diagnosis what any individual's ability to function in the world would be like now or in the future.

Im still here, trying to read the whole thread, so much info! Im on my phone but will reply properly when i get home.

Trucks I like your interpretation of HF... "passes for NT"

A bit cynical, but accurate (at least to those of us jaded enough to have a less than stellar view of the HF term in the first place).

I feel HF is a buy-out, as in "don't get your hopes up for adequate support". A dear friend of mine says HF stands for Hard Fight - as in "if you think that a diagnosis means that you are going to get the support you so desperately need, you have a hard fight ahead of you".

FWIW - while the players are different and the financial support is even less, the battles, especially educational ones, are very similar here across the pond.

Ds1 has just been dx. ADHD, but not severe enough to warrant the WHO definition of hyperkinetic. depending on the situation he often just presents as attention deficit but around me the hyperactive elements are high. He's also on the spectrum but makes good eye contact and is very good at 'chameleoning' so this wasn't picked up til recently.

I'm already experiencing how difficult it can be to get help when a child appears to 'function' reasonably well. I'm dreading the fight we have ahead, just getting this dx took 2 years and countless 'experts'

Ds2 has verbal dyspraxia and I suspect ASD. In a way it's easier with him though as his speech issues and social anxiety mean people can 'see' his disability... I don't have to fight for him in the same way as I do for ds1.

When ds1 was dx last week the consultant psychiatrist at CAMHS said until recently he'd have been classified AS but as the classifications are about to change he'll simply be ASD.

I'm hoping that may work in our favour in the future.

People use it zzz. But it isn't part of the DSM and has never been a part of the triad. It's just developed.

In answer to Sammy's question I would guess that, assuming he has normal IQ, child 1 will catch up on the language and be fine.

Child 2 needs to work on his non verbal comprehension and motor planning to minimise social anxiety and secondary defensive behaviours.

anxious technically, child 1 (as reported) does not even fit the triad of impairments for a diagnosis of ASD at all - but a specific language delay, instead.

The classification of HF (and in some cases, even the dx of ASD itself) is VERY subjective, so in all honesty, the answer depends on the observations and motivations of the person determining the level of function.

And this, dear friends, is why it is so confusing and contentious in the first place...

The autistm spectrum disorder label is so huge and clumsy and based on symptoms rather than underlying causes that it's not surprising parents want some sort of clarity on where their child is on the spectrum.

I would like to see the autism label kicked into the long grass and instead assess children at intervals on their non verbal skills/sensory processing/motor skills/language. If you know which areas to target then there's a better chance of making progress.

Thank you all for your responses, I understand it better now.

anxious I agree with you, hence why I don't think Im going to pursue a dx for my dd. Im just going to concentrate on where she lacks and work on that.

Who measures IQ?

Sammy neuropsychologists do the most detailed sets of measurements - they are sub-sub-specialists and generally work with the most impaired children (for example, all the children at Bee's school are multiply disabled, the majority non-verbal and/or lack the ability to manipulate things, so assessments are very individualised).

Skilled EPs can do an excellent job with the majority of students, when assessments are chosen carefully to eliminate natural barriers (like motor skill impairments).

However, and this is just my opinion, I have yet to find a time where knowing IQ itself has been of any use at all. "Superior" IQ runs in my family, kind of like brown eyes or hypermobile joints. My IQ is over 155, as is my sister's, so is my DS's - likely my parents' were too. However, all that says is that in timed tests and under the right conditions, we can come up with the correct answers more readily to more questions. My sister failed maths, DS struggles at school due to an absolute lack of motivation, and I can honestly say that my intellect is more of a party trick than a useful asset.

Discovering learning styles and struggles is far more helpful, but finding a school that is willing to implement a program that will make the most of the results of the testing is the holy grail.

ds2 has a dx of autism, his paed has been cautious about pinpointing where on the spectrum as it depends what element of his life you are assessing.
Academically he is years behind (pre school but he is 10)
His level of understanding, following instructions etc is generally very good almost age appropriate
Has a great vocabulary
His adaptive behaviour assessment results however were very very poor
Sesory stuff very poor

So put him in a room on his own with no instructions & he will sit on the floor rocking with his fingers in his ears & look like the most severly autistic children
However he can be trusted to go to the office alone & fetch the registers or show a another child the way to the staff room & appear completely NT
Its all aboutdirection & environment for DS2, no indipendant thought processes but with guidance he can thrive

mymate you nailed it. Even to identify ASD as a "spectrum" makes it challenging to understand that there are so many facets under which it can be considered that there is no real answer. DS fits in beautifully with other "quirky" kids, and is an ace with younger children. Put him with "average" peers or adults, though, and he can't function without clear direction - and we have been working on this with him for the better part of his 14 years.

However... if one of the adults in question starts talking about one of his "pet" subjects - he finds his "zone" and all is well again... at least until the other person tries to actually involve themselves IN the conversation.

The Paed who sees DS is very well versed on all things video game. DS could not answer basic questions appropriately or stay on topic, but as soon as the Paed identified the character on the tag DS was wearing around his neck, it seemed that she found the key to the language door. It was quite the thing to watch, actually... that conversation told her more about him than any set of "formal" assessments or reports she had read about him up to that point...