How come aspergers and similar conditions is developmental?
What I notice is that there is a strong evidence that aspergers and certain other psychological conditions like personality disorder especially schizoid personality is developmental while symptoms are only getting worse over time. For some people, the changing symptoms to certain conditions similar to aspergers start to get noticed by age of 9, but for some will start by in their mid-teens (confirmed by some diagnosed people I talked to) and then it will stay into the rest of their life while there is only temporary cures which might not help in the long run. Why it is developmental and what triggers it?
I don't entirely understand the question... however, I will offer a response that is at least related. Those will Asperger's syndrome are all quite different from each other, even while meeting all of the criteria. It was once believed, as it was with ADHD, that people with AS or HFA have difficulties in childhood (partly BECAUSE it's a developmental disorder), but we adjust as we grow to adulthood and then it is no longer a problem. That is, of course, not true.
Some certainly do learn all the ins and outs of social interaction and some of us have sensory issues mild enough to easily ignore.. and so on... but with others that adjustment is just not possible, as with me. Because of this, I was probably less obviously autistic as a child than I am as an adult, contrary to conventional wisdom. I was not diagnosed until adulthood and probably would not have gotten the diagnosis when I was a child even if it were available then, because as a child I was both more social and more communicative than I am now. I still met all of the criteria, but it would not have been easy for a doctor to see.
But because AS is a developmental disorder, for me it caused much delay in reaching normal landmarks in life. Supporting myself in my own home, forming relationships, completing college, etc., all happened much later in life for me than than for NTs. Anyway... not making those adjutments contributed to my both feeling and appearing more obviously on the spectrum now than when I was boy. I stim often now when anxious or happy, I only rarely did it as a child. I am also more reclusive; I don't interact with others if don't have to, especially not on the phone... I can't drive a car (and could only in low traffic when I was younger)... and I am MUCH more rigid in routines.
But yeah... it's a developmental thing.
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Thank you for responding. The question is why is aspergers is considered developmental just like other conditions which symptoms can appear similar like schizoid personality disorder. I see individuals from both sides developing which derives from their mid-teens in general though symptoms can start as a child or adult.
Autism is present from birth--it may only be noticed later on because developmental demands have increased.
For example: As a baby, I cried constantly and did not quiet when picked up; I used to calm down only when being rocked. This is an obvious sign of autism. However, nobody realized I actually had autism until I was in the sixth grade and Asperger's was put into the DSM for the first time, because I had learned to speak on time (if in a somewhat scripted and extremely pedantic manner). Because I did not fall dramatically behind other children (being a gifted child but not allowed to skip grades helped too), I wasn't diagnosed.
It wasn't that the autism wasn't there; it was just that it wasn't obvious.
Autism is a developmental disorder because it is present from very early on and changes how your brain develops, both prenatally and after you are born. But it may not be obvious until later. Say, if the part of your brain that allows you to understand cliques is affected, so that you do not naturally understand them, then this would not be seen as unusual until children actually start to form cliques and you do not--around the age of nine or so. Or, if you do not naturally learn language well, then this would not be obvious until you were about two years old and not yet talking... etc.
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Autism is a developmental disorder because it is present from very early on and changes how your brain develops, both prenatally and after you are born. But it may not be obvious until later. Say, if the part of your brain that allows you to understand cliques is affected, so that you do not naturally understand them, then this would not be seen as unusual until children actually start to form cliques and you do not--around the age of nine or so. Or, if you do not naturally learn language well, then this would not be obvious until you were about two years old and not yet talking... etc.
Yes, exactly. Before about age 9, more or less, I was considered a gifted student, though rather poor at socializing. I did show some traits of AS, but showed no serious difficulty. At that time, I suddenly found myself to be an outcast. I had not really changed. It was just that the people around me were starting to form more advanced social groups, and starting to behave like pre-teens, and I was unable to fit in. These traits were always there, but it was only at that point that they became a problem. The people around me changed; I had not, and I was unable to make the appropriate changes to fit in.
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