Criterion E
09 Jul 2009, 9:03 am
Brittany2907 wrote:
Sora wrote:
Social skills are for example having completed potty training, feeding oneself, dressing oneself, washing up.
I was diagnosed with AS yet I didn't dress myself until I was 8. I'm not sure whether it was a case of I couldn't or I wouldn't, but I remember teachers at school complaining to my mum about this when it was the season for swimming lessons. I also didn't wash myself without help until I was 9, things like cleaning my face, washing my hair and I also had some 'potty training issues' that I'm not going to post here, but I'm still sure that I have AS.
It's just a definition thing. If you had delays before age 3, you do not have AS by this current definition.
But, nobody knows what AS is and what HFA is, so the label a person gets is pretty irrelevant concerning what their real disorder is.
There are people with a dx of HFA who probably have the very same disorder that others that are dxed with 'AS' have and vice versa. And then there are most likely also people who are dxed with AS but who have a disorder that that others with the AS dx do not have, yet somebody decided you should draw that artificial line and consider them all AS though they have different genetic/environmental/neurobiological disorders.
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Autism + ADHD
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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett
09 Jul 2009, 9:44 am
Age1600 wrote:
i still have poor cognitive and self help as i said in my other post, but what i do notice a lot, i do a lot of things young kids with ASD do like echolalia is a lot of my language, i still run out in the street without realzing it, i have actually attemtped to jump out of a moving rollercoaster, i have walked into a huge body of water not realizing i can drown, stuff like this happens alla the time, i need a lot of sueprvision, cant do daily tasks that most ppl jus do without even notcing. The other day i saw a lightening bug and love running after them, it flew into the street so i took off at super speed, and didn't even hear the car screech its breaks stopping from hitting me, jus kept trying to catch the lightening bug, until finally my bfs friend gr4abbed me and put me in the car, didnt even notice. now i can tell myself now watch out for cars, dont jump out of moving anything haha, stuff like that, but no matter what i jus dont understand and at the moment i have virtually no thoughts going through my head its crazy.
my autism specialist today told me what seperates autism and aspergers and is the key component between the two is cognitive skills. People with aspergers dont have any cognitive impairments, but instead may have more social impairments. He said its verry uncommon for a person to be diagnosed with aspergers if they still cant speak a full sentence or if they still cant be able to take care of themselves for instance needing constant direction and assistance with every little thing, but even though its very uncommon, there are kids diagnosed with aspergers who have those problems, even though you dont always hear about it or realize it. I thought that was interesting to know.
my autism specialist today told me what seperates autism and aspergers and is the key component between the two is cognitive skills. People with aspergers dont have any cognitive impairments, but instead may have more social impairments. He said its verry uncommon for a person to be diagnosed with aspergers if they still cant speak a full sentence or if they still cant be able to take care of themselves for instance needing constant direction and assistance with every little thing, but even though its very uncommon, there are kids diagnosed with aspergers who have those problems, even though you dont always hear about it or realize it. I thought that was interesting to know.
See, I'm seeing a problem with what I think is the definition of cognitive skills. The thing that seems to be the underlying theme of everyone here is that the problem is NOT cognitive, but rather, it's in connecting what you know to something practical. Age knows she shouldn't run out into the street, but when the time comes to apply that knowledge, it doesn't work. I know I'm supposed to respond to certain things in certain ways, but faced with the actual situation.. what I know simply doesn't matter, I can't apply it. I've taken buttloads of psychology classes, including social and interpersonal psychology, but I just can't transfer that into something usable. If anything, all my theories only make it worse, because then I think I know things that I can't really properly comprehend.
This is a problem I've had with therapy.. it's centered on the concept that if you just become more aware of yourself, what's bothering you, etc... you'll get better. Since a lot of my outward symptoms (self-harm, trouble with relationships, difficulty dealing with frustration..) are similar to those of borderlines, DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) was suggested to me. Problem is, DBT is classes. As soon as I understood this, I knew perfectly well it wasn't going to help me. I have no problem learning things. If I want to know the coping skills used, I need only look them up. But even learning them, even understanding them, doesn't mean I can apply them.
I frequently feel bad, and like a failure, because I really can't take care of myself. Not to the same extent as Age, I guess.. but at the same time, my impairments aren't as obvious in the same ways, so it feels like I should be able to do these things, and leads others to the same belief. Problem is, no matter what I know, it doesn't make up for the differences between what I know how to do, and what I can do.
Ok, now I'm rambling.. I hope I said something in there that made sense to somebody..
I'm feeling unsure if criterion E is really referring specifically to "age-appropriate self-help skills" or simply the general acquisition of everyday skills at all. It seems like significant delays in self-help skills are near-universal in most autistic disorders.. I'm still confused by that bit being in the criteria.
09 Jul 2009, 11:41 am
Age1600 wrote:
now i can tell myself now watch out for cars, dont jump out of moving anything haha, stuff like that, but no matter what i jus dont understand and at the moment i have virtually no thoughts going through my head its crazy.
Judging by your avatar (that is smiling, is it you?) and your ability to laugh at your problems, I conclude that you have a pleasant life, nevertheless. I am glad that you can be happy in spite of your problems. I hope all the best for you. There's no recipe for a happy life, and I hope you are having one.
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Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
