Autism to AS DX

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Has anyone ever been originally diagnosed with Autistic Disorder and then became high functioning enough to have a doctor tell give you an AS diagnosis?

I had an appointment with a psychiatrist Wednesday. I've had MANY appointments with MANY psychiatrists with the usual results.

Anyway, this doctor is of the belief that if you are an adult and intelligent and can communicate in any way than you have Asperger's. Even though I had a speech delay and have a history of classic autism he is giving me the Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis, 299.80. I have "severe Asperger's" but he gave me the AS label nonetheless...

I didn't really talk, didn't look at him, sat in a weird pose, was wearing earplugs and was "stimming" most of the time by hitting myself in my right cheek with my finger but I still got the AS diagnosis (and my cheek still hurts...)

Great! I am moving up the ladder...

My last therapist said she couldn't help me because I was "too severe" as did Voc Rehab. The Mental Health Center also said "autism" as has everyone else...

I also presented him with a letter, something I have never done before when meeting a new doctor/therapist. Maybe it was because I actually proved my intelligence and told him that I couldn't talk well and explained things that he thought differently about me...

I think he did this for labeling purposes and for services. I've noticed that as an adult that it is opposite as it is as a child...

let me explain...

As an adult no one really seems to want to treat me because of an "autism" label. But, since "Asperger's" has a much better prognosis some doctors will give some people with HFA an AS label so that they can get better services and be seen in a better light. If the goal is college and some degree of independence than you want an "Asperger's Syndrome" label rather than an "Autism" label.

As a child you want the Autism label instead of the AS label because you really can't get services unless you have an autism label.

It appears to be different as an adult.

With an "autism" label they see you as a hopeless case, I suppose.

I guess, because of my letter, he didn't see me as hopeless...

Regardless, I'm glad to move up the autism ladder!

Of course, it is just one doctor, but I'm going to be seeing him again.

thats cool though your moving on up on the spectrum latter! I always wonder if my diagnosis will ever change, my current doctor explained that since I come across with horrible language problems, dont understand little things or even seem to interact, that i guess i almost come across as unintellegent, (in fact most doctors and people that meet me dont even know i can talk normally or that i can even be left alone for even an hour, when my mother told one neurologist how great i type he was amazed that i can do that, or like a grandmother of a severely autistic boy, was amazed how great i typed and didnt realize i had such intellengence until she saw me type i was like wtf lol) that my diagnosis will always stay the same. Either way I sorta sometimes wish my label got changed to aspergers, like you said i think you get more services now and these days as an adult especially with the aspergers label rather then autism. Anyways in a way you deserve a congrats hehehe for moving on up !

I understand that.

I wasn't dxed with anything as a kid and got dxed with AS at age 18/19.

But back then I was also horrified when the professional considered to give me HFA dx instead because of the stereotypes associated with a dx of classical autism.

If you're actually very articulate and clever, as AS dx seems to make people think you're so much better than you are! The other way round, a dx of classical seems to make people reluctant to demand ridiculous things from you that you can't do but also think you're more severe than you are.

I wouldn't mind a HFA dx anymore and am generally very angry about the constant confusion of functioning-level and severity that leads to that I'm constantly overestimated and people say I'm impudent and lie about how I was 5-10-15 years ago, but for the moment a re-diagnosis is unnecessary because the services wouldn't change a bit.

I hope the AS label helps you more now and that some people will react better to it. I made the experience that it really works with many people and they start to have more faith in you if you are noticeable different and disabled.

I don't recall where i read it maybe it was Attwood or maybe it was Lorna wing, but, the case is that some of the LFAs that "recover" or come into the "socializing" world {(10% of them, (surverys say)} they react/act like HFAs/Aspergers' (which i don't agree with the delay of language distinction or any distinction anyway). Stephanie you are an HFA and you were a LFA. You are fully aware of what it is going on, and that's an HFA sign/trait. When someone knows that something is really wrong even if they don't explain it as a cause of autism, many state that this its HFA (I do too) whatever non normal this person does. I agree that you are HFA; You are fully aware. Welcome to the messed up world

It's quite common for ASD people to "normalize" with age.

I was VERY Aspergerish as a youngster. I had few friends if any, as I refused to talk about anything other than my special interests. I'm a lot more 'normal' now.

Yeah.

To some, it'll always be: Average intelligence + adequate speech as an adult = AS. No matter what the textbooks say or how your social behaviour manifests (aloof for example). Rain Man has AS by this definition, so it's all cool if you think you're too severe for AS.

The only problem I see with this is is that it creates a very large group of manifestations and severity of people with AS, which is accurate insofar as the original Autistic Psychopathy goes, but it's counter to Wing's intentions in her paper (adequate speech + active social behaviour rather than aloof = AS). People who're "mild" harping on about how they overcame whatever via willpower and to clear up "misconceptions" of AS/Autism on some silly little crusade, to people who're very disabled and have to put up with these people thinking they represent the label (hey, it's not just about you).

To add, Autistic Disorder includes LFA and HFA, it's just that some people use something like Gillberg's Criteria of AS for adults. I find it quite hilarious that Attwood uses Gillberg's for AS, but also the DSM-IV-TR for Autistic Disorder; they're the same thing.

From what I understand, this is starting to become more common.

I think it has to do with psychologist laziness/complacency (depends on how nice you're feeling towards them). But, I can't really blame them too much.

Many psychologists who deal with AS/HFA see a bunch of pre-school children all day long. Adults looking for a diagnosis are either a rarity in their schedule, or some psychologists will admit that they just don't "do" adults.

Eventually, a psychologist becomes so engulfed in the routine of diagnosing people as they see them (because how much more background information do they REALLY need to get on a four-year-old patient?) that they begin to use the exact same standards to judge all of their patients, regardless of age.

They don't always realize that this approach doesn't work for adults. To many of them, if you behave like a child with AS, you have AS.

Oddly enough, I once met a 47 year old man at an Asperger's meeting. He was accompanied there by his sister, and she was telling the group details of his life. He was diagnosed 41 years ago with Autistic Disorder (and you needed to have rather profound autism to be diagnosed that long ago), and he was just recently re-diagnosed with AS.

While he could speak just fine, it was clear that he wasn't functioning on the level of a 47 year old with AS. He was functioning more like an 8 year old with AS. In his case, I don't know if you could say that he "moved up" as much as he just "grew up".

Well every professional should use the ICD-10, I think.

AS criteria say: social interaction as for autism.
Repetitive behaviours allow presentation as for autism.

I think that's the only real thing for AS. Same as classical, just with speech.

I spoke to the psychic who gave me the AD/HFA label in the past, today, and he reevaluated me as having AS, or being of the same appearance anyway. The special interest, and also not being in my own world (too high functioning in other words), made it.

So, him, plus Attwood's, makes me AS.

So yay.

that can happen. See, even though I was diagnosed with atypical autism, and then diagnosed with Asperger's in 1999. See, they first go by if the child has speech and if there are any problems, even if there was speech at before age 1 or 2 then regression. If the speech clears up and the person eventually has normal speech and an average or higher IQ, then the diagnosis gets changed to Asperger's. it does not make sense to keep an Autism, especially a classic autism diagnosis, when someone does not have any of the problems anymore. This mistake happened with me in 1997, when before my Asperger diagnosis, when I went to college and wanted medical, my mom told my college that I had classic autism and they would not allow me to get it. The put me in a disability program, even though I was extremely intelligent and had never needed such services, since 3rd grade. I quit, and went back a year later, without the services and did very well. Then of course I had a breakdown,even though I only wanted vocational resources, not an a day program for mentally ret*d, but because of my history with atypical autism, I got stuck in a group home and/ day treatment and received services that were inappropriate and was treated like I was ret*d. If they would have just changed it from the beginning, if Asperger's were around, I would have never been subjected to that embarrassing moment in college, got my medical thing, and never been in that horrid program.Also, my family are stupid and seem to think, even though the psychiatrist and therapists changed it to Asperger's(which means I only have social issues, not cognitive and/or speech issues) they still treat me like I have actual autism and treat me like I have the speech and/or learning problems like an classic autistic, even though I never had really any of the problems like a classic autistic I only had just the speech issue(regression at 18 months old, even though i spoke at 8 months old and talked straight through until then), which was fully gone by age 6.

The diagnosis also goes by developmental delays, but sometimes there are reasons for those that aren't considered at first.
Also, sometimes when a child doesn't seem interested in something, it's considered a delay in their development of that particular skill. For a child with autism or AS, not seeming interested doesn't mean that they're not interested or that they can't do something.. only that someone else doesn't think that they SEEM interested.

I knew a boy who was originally diagnosed as autistic and said to have a very low IQ... by the time I knew him, I'd be suspect of any test that didn't put him at least close to genius level. A ten-year-old who picks up algebra the first time it's explained to him does not have mental retardation.

I'm not completely sure of all his developmental delays, but I know there was trouble with his toilet training. But delays in toilet training a child don't have much to do with the child's development when a bathroom ceiling falls in on his head while he's first being taught to sit on the toilet. In that case, it would have been more abnormal if his toilet training HAD proceeded normally.