does an ASD diagnoses fit to you at all?

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I fit pretty much all the autism criteria, except for the "lack of imagination" one. No speech delay, but plenty of language issues, soo... ehh. Yeah, I'm pretty sure my doctor was right about me having autism. There's no diagnosis that explains it any better.

OK, I probably worded it badly! Sorry.

Second try:

A DSM V ASD diagnosis means that the individual either requires support, requires substantial support or requires very substantial support in two symptom domains: (1) deficits in social communication and social interaction and (2) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities

Symptoms may be present currently or by history, must have presented early in developmental history and may be masked by learned strategies later in life.

Symptoms in three areas of dimension 1 must be found: deficits in social emotional reciprocity, deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used forsocial interaction, and deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships and/or adjusting to social context.
Many sy mptoms could meet these criteria, not all possible symptoms need be present, just one for each of these three dimension 1 categories.

Symptoms in 2 of 4 categories in the second dimension restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities: Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech, Insistence on Sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior, Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus, Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment.

There are many symptoms which may meet these requirements, you only need two of these along with your three dimension 1 symptoms.


10 - it fits perfectly, everything in my life points to autism - OK, this makes sense as a personal subjective statement.

9- it fits very well aside from some symptoms i do not display
Say what now? By definition, if you have it then you meet the criteria, you need only display the require symptoms--it is not unexpected that you will not display some symptoms or traits that could be typical of the dimension 1 or 2 criteria. This is a difference without distinction.

8- i show some symptoms, definitely enough to fit
As in 9, if you have the 3 symptoms of deficits in social communication and interaction and 2 symptoms of restricted and repetitive interests and behaviors, then you have it just as much as 10 or 9...

7- i technically fit the criteria, which is enough for me
Again, there is no meaningful difference between this and 8, 9 or 10. -- at least in terms of DSM V criteria.

6- i just barely fit the criteria, which i have douts about sometimes
Again, there is no meaningful difference between this and 7, 8, 9 or 10. -- at least in terms of DSM V criteria. You may only "require support" rather than "substantial support" or "very substantial support" but if you fit, then you fit. The spectrum allows for lots of ways that you can fit, but you either do or dont.


Does that make more sense?

The question is worded in such a way as to create grades of diagnosis when these degrees already exist in the diagnostic criteria. Just not having some of the listed symptoms does not mean you are less of a fit.

It's as if the criteria are being seen as switches when they are really potentiometers.

i guess i ment, stereotypical behaviour, for the first half of the rating and then symptoms all together on the second half, i guess i didnt do a very good job on this thing, sorry for all the confusion

I think you did a great job and there's no confusion--I am just still in the process of understanding what the DSM V revision means and one thing that came through really clearly is that not having every symptom is not the same as not fitting the diagnosis perfectly--because the diagnosis is designed to be flexible and cover a range of different but related presentations...

And I think everyone who is responding has understood what you meant very well.

I would say I was around an 8, but technically (as I understand the new diagnostic criteria) that's a 10...