What are the milestones in determining LFA, Mild FA and HFA?

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I wonder where I will fall, under the new DSM, because I'm very, very high functioning in executive functions but a zero at sport (coordination, agility and balance), very impaired at visio-spatial ability (zero at spatial geometry at school) and very heavily ret*d in the social aspect.

I doubt "milestones" and "mild FA" are the correct terms, so can someone please help me correct the topic title?

Under the new DSM there are *no* milestones. All the pervasive development disorders have been flattened into "Autism Spectrum Disorder". There is a severity scale based on how much support you need.

See here: http://www.dsm5.org/proposedrevisions/p ... px?rid=94#

Jason.

Speech is one VERY key milstone.

In LFA there can be little or no speech, same with MFA

In HFA, there is a speech delay, but normal speech usually develops slighter later.

In Aspeger's there is no speech delay, but the autisitc social problems still exist- it's the reason AS is usually missed early on.

Sorry, that's all I know!

Layla, if there's no speech delay, then where is Asperger's situated on the severity line? HFA?

In first place, "LFA", "MFA" and "HFA" does not exist as "official" diagnosis - they are all "Autistic Disorder".

In second, I think that there is not supposed to be a "severity line" - in general, AS is supposed to be less severe than AD, but it is perfectly possible to have AD but be milder than someone with AS (and example - there is some theories that Albert Einstein had Autistic Disorder; if this is true, he was much more "mild" - in sense of being capable of living an independent life - that many people with AS, who are incapable of find jobs).

It is my understanding that there is very little to no distinction between HFA and Aspergers once language has been acquired and one is able to routinely talk.

I would be considered a HFA, because for example I have problems with my speech (this is what the guy do the evaluation told me....) Then again, I wouldn't know for sure with someone like myself, or others that are completely different.... then again.... everything is different these days.... (Sorry mindless rambling)

Each individual has different types of severity. Someone with AS could have some symptoms that are more severe than someone with HFA, or vice versa. For example, I have HFA and I have very poor empathy, very poor theory of mind skills, more than most people with AS or HFA I've encountered. But I have fewer problems with ritual behaviors (I still have them, just not as major as my other symptoms). At the same time, someone else with HFA or someone with AS might have more ritual behavior or problems with it being interrupted, but fewer issues with empathy.

I like what is happening with the DSM V, sticking us all into ASD.

I'm HFA due to speech problems/language delays. I'm good with foreign languages now, though - I speak 4 languages and have a degree in one of them. I have many times and situations where I cannot make myself talk, though.

I'm actually a really odd case in this situation. I have super counter-intuitive cognitive slants.

I had a lot of speech related problems. (Not answering people, speaking in a monotone, speaking in too much detail, a total inability to understand subjective questions, expressive agnosia, lack of eye contact) However I learned to read before kindergarten. When I went into school at first everyone thought I was mentally deficient. (Flapping my hands was big magnet for bullying.)
However when I was tested I came out in the 98th percentile for language skills in high school. And Math is my major deficit. I can't even do arithmetic in my head.

No one thought anything was wrong with me because I'm intelligent. However for me, the disabling part of Autism is the sensory integration difficulties. I have to make my grocery trips as quick as possible, and I simply CANNOT work in a place where other things are making noise.

Actually, LFA, HFA, and MFA are not officially defined, and as such, they mean very little. When a doctor calls you one of those things, all it means is that particular doctor's opinion.

If you want to get a better idea of how you are dealing with daily life, you could look at your GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning; a measure of how well you are coping at the time of evaluation) or, if you've ever been scored on it, your score on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. The VABS is mostly used for kids and teens, but it's been expanded for adults too.

The best option, though, is to get together with your therapist or counselor or whatever and get a good profile of your strengths, your weaknesses, which skills you need to learn and which ones you can use to cover for ones that don't come naturally. That sort of specific information will be more helpful in the long run to make decisions about what things you'll want to concentrate on in therapy and which accommodations you're likely to need at home/work/school.

As for the new DSM criteria: One of the things I don't like about the division of autism into mild/moderate/severe is that many autistic people fit criteria for one level on one scale, and another level on the other scale. Where do you put those? And they aren't exactly unusual. Me, for example--severe in terms of repetitive behaviors/interests; mild in terms of language and socialization; moderate in terms of social reciprocity; mild in terms of general adaptive skills... what exactly would you call that? I presume they'll call it mild because I can talk and take care of myself; I can only hop that won't make them think that I can't possibly have bigger problems in other areas.

Oh, required support is the gauge, I didn't know that. I wonder if the parameters / milestones for each severity category are known yet, or if they will be published together with the severity scale in the DSM? Eg I'm able to work, though I'm fired within 1-2 years. I'm quite often living on unemployment money. I'm not able to maintain bonds, so I require a social service support person sometimes. Would this make me MFA or HFA?