What exactly is classic autism? Portage worker has told me that dd2 has it

[autumnsmum]

I am curious as to exactly what classic autism means .Dd2 is autistic and is going to ss in sept today the portage worker came round and says she has classic autism . I know she is autistic so I'm not in denial but I'm curious to know exactly what classic autism is . She is verbal by the way thanks in advance

I would think she means not HFA or Asperger's

Thank you claw2 I think she was also telling me its not language disorder which I knew

Your portage worker? Is it usual for a PW to give a specific diagnosis?

Classic autism is at the more severe end of the spectrum and was once known as Kanner's Autism.

She probably means this

Thank you everyone that sounds like my dd

Ds has the dx of classic autism.
He attends a ss and is at the severe end, however he has progressed loads and is nothing like as severe as he was 5 years ago.
His biggest struggle is being sociable as he has never had any interest in other children (always loved adults) however he has just started to try and Join in with other what other children are doing so hopefully this will improve.

Has anyone found that their dcs tantrums have diminished as they've got older . This is the area I think we're having most difficulty with at the moment

Ds has this as his dx and I just take it to mean not Aspergers or mild autism; so triad of impairments before age 3 with language delay. At 3 we got indep EP report which said moderate (classic) autism. I would say he could now be classed as HFA as his iq is clearly average or above. He still has lang delay and his autism symptoms are still moderate-severe. So it depends how you define HFA as iq wise definitely but everyday functioning wise nowhere near. Social and repetetive pretty severe. language i expect to end up as delayed but not severely so. But as he is smart i still optimistic his iq will help him keep moving up spectrum.
Yes I think behaviour has improved and when I see kids with autism around eg a local outdoor activity group ds as the youngest is the worst behaved, the most unable to do as he's told. The older children seem much more in control of their behaviour and relaxed. Maybe their parents have just figured it out more than us!

My DS has a dx of AS and no LDs, so I'm not sure how helpful this is going to be.
His control over explosions, rage and meltdowns has improved hugely over the years. Partly because I became very good at identifying triggers, but also because I shared that understanding with his teachers and with him.
The older he got, the more he could spot problems before they hit, and he developed a range of coping strategies to replace the hit and run solution. He's also very comfortable with being an Aspie and reasonably articulate about it, so he can explain, if not at the time, then later.
He's just finished A levels and is facing the new challenge of being an adult, and the thought of work.
As I said, I'm not sure if that's helpful, but things have improved with age, maturity and improved control.

Thank you so much for all your replies much appreciated

My son is 13 with autism and (Sev/Mod) learning disability, so I guess towards the classic end of the spectrum - although we don't think of him as classic as he likes regular (controlled) social contact. He used to have meltdowns very often, but gradually over the years they have got less regular and shorter. He still has some major ones but they are fairly rare now, and is less likely to' run' in panic. I think he has got to understand the world around him better, become a little more flexible and we(school/home) around him know him well, so know what is hard for him so life is more predictable. He learns from mistakes now (such as walking into things) which he did not used to! I have noticed the same in other children from his school too.

Ds started with a GDD and prob autism, then classic autism to then HFA. I think it is to do with the severity whether LD or not. He came on alot with portage, and is such a mixed bag is hard to tell sometimes. It depends so much on his environment, anxiety. He was coping really well between 4-6 but struggling a lot now at 7.