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Can you help me decipher sons asd diagnosis?

7 replies

Toni27 · 19/08/2013 00:20

Our Son got diagnosed with asd back in dec '12 he has made improvements since then but at the time he got a score on the test of 34. I read that to get the diagnosis children score 30 or above. At the time I was told moderate autism but since then his senco dropped in conversation that he is a child with HFA. What do you think? I have been trying to google the result but cannot find out how severe they thought his autism was when he got assessed. I need to know for myself if that makes sense. I'm not bothered about the label but I want to know the level he's got it so I can get my head around it.

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zzzzz · 19/08/2013 00:44

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MyAngelChuckles · 19/08/2013 09:31

Hi Toni27, from what I was told at DS' diagnosis zzzz is right. Ds is classed as HFA but when the pead explained what that entailed she said that while DS has an average intellect his autistic traits are moderate and constantly interfere with his daily life and anxiety levels so while he is actually behind academically because he is constantly distracted and on an 'emotional high' so to speak and suffers from significant speech and language delay he is perfectly capable of attaining good grades with the right support and learning environment in place.

Hope that helps

sophj100 · 19/08/2013 09:54

When my eldest was diagnosed with ASD, the Developmental Paediatrician did say he appeared to be high-functioning but this was not given as a separate label, as it were. Also, my youngest, diagnosed 3 months ago, when diagnosed with ASD, it was mentioned he would possibly be more Aspergers but being only 4, it was too early to say. However, she also informed me they are steering away from giving labels of Aspergers or HFA, as it seems to give permission for their support to be lessened as they are deemed more capable than others on the spectrum and being that this invisible condition is so hard to define, they still cannot tell what their capabilities will be. Also, many traits can change throughout their development, meaning they become more capable in certain areas that they struggled with before.

In short, a diagnosis of ASD can vary so much, can change as they develop and still requires regular assessment, particularly through schooling years as they can lose grow out of some issues which once were of concern, as their brains develop. My eldest has a Statement and it has an annual review, making slight alterations in areas where he seems to have gained momentum and focuses on areas which remain problematic or new areas which require more attention.

Not sure if this is of any help but I can only speak from my personal experience and pass on the information given by the Developmental Paediatrician. The level of support has to be bespoke for each child, which is why HFA and Aspergers can give a false impression of their abilities as a whole, even though it does give some comfort knowing the possibilities of their development is more positive.

zzzzz · 19/08/2013 11:59

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sophj100 · 19/08/2013 12:06

Sadly, the U.S. is still leaps and bounds ahead of us, in terms of research and resources - hopefully that will change, the louder we shout.

zzzzz · 19/08/2013 18:35

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Toni27 · 19/08/2013 22:10

Thank you xx

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