confused- after nearly 4 yrs pade wants to take away dx of hfa but now thinks he as adhd

[belcantwait]

didnt really 'get' it but i thinbk she meant that he still has hfa but we/ he is coping with it and its not such a prob but she doesnt want him 'labelled' forever (Why? what benefit is it either way?). after several yrs now of him being destructive and super hyper almost all the time i think she is about to dx him with adhd As well? instead?).
sorry not too sure what the point of this post was just wanted to have a bit of a ramble and chat about it i guess. have to be out later to babysit for a friend so may not be around much this eve

I don't understand why the paed would want to do this. Autism is a lifelong developmental condition, you can learn to cope with it but it's not something they'll grow out of!

ADHD is a very common comorbid condition with ASDs, it's possible to have both.

Dd2 was diagnosed with ASD in the summer but the pead mentioned that they will review her dx and may change it to AS.

So many children are now being diagnosed so much earlier (age 2+), i think that there will be a lot of cases where the dx could be wrong or out grown.

I'm not against early dx but i think there is more of a risk of getting it wrong.

ADHD has similar traits to ASD, it is also possible he has both.

A lot of kidsare being given a lifelong Asd edx now so that it reflects changes as they grow- typically higher FA kids have periodic changes as they grow (well they all do, really) and this sits happily under a more generic DX.

As for the adhd thing....

I'm doing a course on ASD and the Paed said that ASD is not a stand alone disorder, if you pick hard enough you will find traces of something else such as ADHD / ADD, DCD, DAMP, dyslexia, tourettes. She's right. A comorbid dx of asd and adhd is very common (fully expecting ds3 to gain one),

However whether you should agree to removing the asd label depends opn whether you think that is correct; does the child fitr the triad and ICD criteria? If so, don't agree; maybe even consider locating a different specialist.

DS1 ADHD age 7- then AS age 9 (though paed wanted to dx AS at age 7)
DS2 AS age 8 and ADHD at age 13
& DS3 AS at age 8 then ASD at age 9

MY theory is that as they grow, their frustrations with the AUTISM grows..they struggle more socially (less party invites, less playground games that they are asked to join) , Communicaton may be a problem...what sounded cute at 3 may get mocked at 7....and they may be surrounded by a world that no longer accepts their behaviour- as they are expected to behave as others their age do... so the ADHD type behaviours become noticeable.

(a toddler may run riot- and throw himself on floor in tantrums...but when my 13 year old does it...it raises eyebrows.)

i hope this makes sense.

Does vary though MrsF

DS3 was the opposite of adhd,extremely passive,in his own world when we went out, needed pretty much towing anywhere.

He was dx'd with autism at 5, a year ago.

Now- even a schoolpick up is a nightmare, he runs constantly, grabbing people and everything.... his old CM saw him today and was incredibly shocked. It's a very real, obvious change.

ADHD apaprently can appear up until the age of 7 for a DX, unlike asd which needs to be symptomatic by 3. So it makes sense that some kids will show up later.

I do have a poweproint on comorbid disorders with asd, its seeming popular this week LOL. CAT me if you want it sent.

Well I wouldntwant a change until the new guidelines come out in 2010 or you might find the dx swaps back again.

As starlight says you want what works for you; if you think child might benefit from asd prvision at some stage fight for that dx..... but do what feels right for you