do ALL autistic people have developmental delays?

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there are no exceptions. if you don't have required developmental delays, you are not Autistic

I disagree

Interesting. As far as I know I've never had any developmental delays. It didn't come up at the diagnosis, but the diagnostician was pretty well convinced that I had ASD. And in most other respects I fit the diagnosis very well. So what's wrong there?

Perhaps it is your definition of developmental delays? For autism, it is in social communication. It is rather fundamental. I did go back in this thread to read your description and it does sound like you have problems with social communication (no offence).

I think the term "developmental delay" may not reflect a lived experience (it never occurred to me until I was in my 50s that I might be autistic). In some regards, I think I have had a normal development, at least intellectually. Naturally, it kind of falls apart when speaking about social interaction/communication. While on the surface my communication can appear "normal," it does not prevent people from thinking I am a bit weird over time. In highly stressful social situations, things go a bit down hill. And that is really where the delay in development is in autism, that social piece.

The disjoint between superior verbal skills and social communication skills can be quite marked . I got a 3 for social communication with the ADOS; which is autism level rather than Asperger's level.

It could be a difference in my grasp of what they mean by "developmental delay." I've always taken the term at face value as meaning a delay in the development of some faculty. As I wrote before, in my case I seem to have permanent impairments rather than delayed development. It would seem rather overoptimistic to think that the communication problems etc. that I have are just a delay in acquiring certain skills. I suppose if an example of delayed development were found in me, that would decide the matter, but I know of none. But perhaps my grasp of the meaning of "developmental delay" is wrong?

I didn't have super early developmental delays. Mine came later.

I started speaking, walking, eating solids all at a normal time. Instead, I struggled with things like learning to speak clearly, holding pencils, writing, siting in chairs normally (with my feet hanging down), behaving in a "normal" way to be in class with other kids without being distracting, and of course some sensory and social things too.

I guarantee you have developmental delays and don't know it. I bet we could find them

Where would you look for them?

For me it is yes and no. Some things I was way ahead. Other areas I found I was behind which used to puzzle me because I was in general, slightly higher then average in intelligence levels.
Talking... I said the first three words when I was very young, and my words were plain and clear, but then I said nothing until normal talking age... But on the other hand, I was slower then others to learn handwriting. For me I had to learn things twice. I would learn it once and get it... But then a few days later when going back to it, it is as if I had never learnt it in the first place, and I would need to learn it again.
Learning to ride a bicycle... To balance. It took me three years of trying. I was determined. I would try and try and try! Somehow the other boys and girls of my age took just weeks or days or months so they seemed ahead of me. But by the age of 7 I finally did it. I did hear that some have never conquored it. For me it was sheer determination. It was my love of my bicycle and bicycles (My second special interest... When I started giving details someone here said they had found my special interest! Hehe) that gave me the determination.

Last edited by Mountain Goat on 30 Jul 2020, 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I had developmental delays—but I “caught up” in some ways.

No speech until age 5 1/2. But full 6-year-old speech at age 6.

I can ask you basic questions and see how you answer them

OK. Meanwhile, I was wondering if it's just a question of the definition of "delay" - I take it to mean a postponement, or something that is later than expected or desired. Is that wrong?

In my case- you don't get assessed at Great Ormond street , for the S word, at the age of 5 or 6, if everything is fine developmentally.

developmental delay can show itself in different ways. In some areas you may have reached a developmental cap that doesn't seem to continue developing. In other areas you could develop at a later age than normal people.

The first question I am wondering with you is, are you and have you always been emotionally younger than your chronological age should be?

I know it's not aimed at me , but it's a good question, A pdoc in 2005 once said he knew many people like me i.e ' very intelligent ,' but emotionally stuck between 5 and 15.