Does your child have a language disorder and SPD but not ASD?

[sleepyhorse]

Just a bit confused with the diagnosis my son got. Personally I thought that he had ASD as has severe language disorder and sensory processing disorder so quite shocked when he didn't get a diagnosis of ASD? I'm not really bothered by the label but just a bit confused as I thought that if you have language impairment and SPD that you must be on the spectrum. Anybody else in the same boat?

Well I have no written dx so take this as you like. My son has SPd and Lang delay but he's dyspraxic. Asd hasn't been mentioned ( yet)

Oh he has been tested for dyspraxia and been ruled out. He does have social communication issues but it was felt that his language is so impaired that until the kanguage improves it is inevitable he will struggles to socially interact. I guess I will just need to be patient and see which way it goes.

He could yet get asd / ADHD as since his Lang has come on his has gotten more impulsive. I am hoping that its all just part of the dyspraxia. How old is your son? What was the dyspraxia test ( we've not had one I don't think). My son is hypermobile and hypotonia so most of the dypraxia symptoms

They have said his motor skills and co ordination is fine

hmmmm, yes, OP, I agree that SPD and Language disorder should = ASD. We are in a similar situation here.

My dd2 has mild sensory issues, social communication problems (severely delayed and disordered age 4 now much improved with persistent problems with semantics, pragmatics and non-verbal communication). She has an IEP at school and attends weekly private SALT.

She was recently assessed privately. The assessor said she doesn't merit formal dx of ASD because 'not severe enough' (oh, how I wish the assessor had come on holiday with us!). We discussed a dx of SCD in light of this, but she can't have that because (and I quote) 'she has restricted and repetitive interests' as well as impairments in social communication.

Clear as mud then?! Honestly, it's a minefield......

Handywoman - I thought SCD was ASD minus obsessions.

Totally confused now

what I mean is, SCD plus obsessions would mean ASD (I thought - no expert though, just going by what I've read here)

Or is it just the severity she is quibbling over?

yy, Clanger, it's the severity that is stopping formal dx even though she is impaired in each domain to an extent that is 'significant' and affects her on an 'everyday level'.

Confused? Yowbetcha!

Sleepyhorse my dd has sensory issues and language delay but no diagnosis yet. Has your ds had an assessment for asd? My dd had the ADOS which wasn't conclusive enough but at the feedback session they gave her diagnosis of social communication disorder. She doesn't have any restrictive or obsessive interests and has good eye contact but has some traits - trouble with reciprocal conversation, hand flapping. Complex they called her! She is 4.8.

They said in the next couple of years either her language and social communication will improve or differences between her and her peers will become more obvious and they will reassess.

Not sure if this helps. I remain confused but I now think that it doesn't matter whether she gets a full diagnosis or not the main thing is to try and help her with her difficulties.

Is your sd getting help with his language and sensory issues?

My pediatrician told me just because you have autistic traits doesn't make you necessarily autistic. She also said that whilst ASD is strongly linked with SPD, many people with language disorders have sensory issues but again doesn't mean they have ASD. I do think my ds probably as ASD judging from his behaviour after our camping holiday. He was social playing in the park with other kids but too friendly, he kissed one of the boys on the cheek and was just being generally annoying to the other kids. Thinking of going down the private route now for a dx

HI, we were and are in the same boat. It was always felt that our DS is not presenting severe enough for ASD diagnosis. It was decided to diagnose him with SPD and Language Disorder, but the older he gets the more obvious his social issues become. I am going to try to re-assess him again, as his social difficulties are more obvious....

My DS is 6.6 and has a phonological speech disorder, auditory processing difficulties, hypermobilty, social anxiety which can manifest as selective mutism and is probably dyslexic (due to combination of speech disorder and auditory processing) and possibly dyspraxic.

He doesn't tick all the boxes for ASD but defo has traits. Everyone is unsure whether its ASD or whether the above makes it look like ASD. I'm not sure either.

I have a a dd 14.8 who has AS with complex presentation (she has several coexisting difficulties) which makes it more likely to be ASD in my mind but I'm hoping it will become more clear as he gets older.

Who diagnosed? Was it a specialist in ASD? Has he had a proper ASD assessment or was it just a 'generalists' opinion?

What did he fall short of for an ASD dx? Was it rigidity?

If you think ASD, I suspect you would be right tbh. ASD is such an umbrella term.

DS's diagnosis is officially "ASD phenotype" as he's well within diagnostic criteria for 2 of the 3 points on the triad, but clinically borderline on the third. He has spd + major receptive language issues.

Some of these disorders can overlap like a set of Olympic rings. I think in DS's case that's probably true and his final diagnosis of ASD phenotype, motor and sensory issues + sleep maintenance disorder is probably pretty accurate. The presence of a bit of that and an over lap with this is also what probably delayed diagnosis until he was 8 and we got to a teaching hospital for a second opinion.

For years I was told he had "complex needs" but noone bothered to define what those needs were, much less attempt to meet them. It was so frustrating!

I got to a point where I stopped worrying about the label and focused on the fact that education law is based on NEED, not diagnosis, for good reason. Labels can be dangerous if they mean the WRONG off the shelf solution is all that your child gets. Every child is an individual and that doesn't suit the tick box approach of the modern education system. It's not all about cost as sometimes the right solution turns out to be the cheapest but requires a change in mindset from teaching staff that they just can't manage.

If I wanted to I could chase a dyslexia diagnosis, but tbh can't see the point as the standard help given to dyslexics in local schools wouldn't add any value to my son's outcomes. I'm better off quietly seeing a private BO/OT and doing daily exercises with DS to help the root causes iyswim. I know this isn't the ASD label you asked about but I hope you'll understand the point I'm trying to make.