Verbal vs. Non-verbal Autism

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Group,

I'm new here so forgive me if this question has been asked before. I would like to find out how many people, if any, have level one or level two autism but were nonetheless verbal from an early age.

As far as I know, I was verbal although I did have some speech and communication issues but recently concluded that I do, in fact, have autism.

Is this common to have autism and still be verbal? Haley Moss didn't talk until she was four or five, I think,

First off, since this is your first post, Welcome to Wrong Planet!

ASD or autism spectrum disorder is a behavioral disorder of speech, communication, social interaction, and repetitive type compulsive behavior. There are three levels of ASD recognized by the DSMV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition). The three levels of severity for ASD include:

Level 1: Requiring Support: Problems with inflexibility, poor organization, planning, switching between activities, which impair independence. Poor social skills, difficulty in initiating interactions, attempts to make friends are odd and unsuccessful.

Level 2: Requiring Substantial Support: Marked difficulties in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills. Markedly odd, restricted repetitive behaviors, noticeable difficulties changing activities or focus.

Level 3: Requiring Very Substantial Support: Severe difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication. Very limited speech, odd, repetitive behavior; many express their basic needs only.

In my opinion, most individuals that post on Wrong Planet are either Level 1 Autistics (High Functioning Autistics - HFA) or Aspies (those with Asperger's Syndrome.

Both Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) are considered more mild than other levels of disability on the autism spectrum, but the most noticeable difference between the two is language. With HFA, the child displays delayed language early in development, whereas an AS diagnosis only exists if there are no significant impairments in language. Although children with AS can suffer from language delays, the challenges are typically not as significant as for children diagnosed with HFA.

So since you did not seem to have early problems with speech and communications, your condition might more align with being an Aspie than an HFA.

Jimmy,

Thanks for your response and the information. What puzzles me the most is that I now realize that I had virtually all the symptoms and traits for autism - all but one, that is. I was verbal from a young age.

However, I can't quite dismiss the possibility that maybe I really didn't start talking until I was 3 or 3½ and my parents just never mentioned it. But, I don't think so. Most people's adult memory (including mine) only go back to age four so there's no way to be completely sure.

I've been diagnosed as level 2, but I had normal, even advanced language for my age as a young child. I have periods now in my adulthood where I lose my ability to speak and can't physically produce words. The autism/Asperger's differential is a bit outdated now: these days your diagnostic level is related to your level of needed supports for functioning in daily life.

NT people can make continuously connected speech.

I have to keep my speech short, or people will detect "something wrong".

Star Trek,

Yeah, this does sound just a bit like me. I wonder if I was "level 2" or, if not, right on the borderline between level one and two.

As an adult I often have problems at work where someone will demand an answer RIGHT NOW and the "cat will get my tongue" so to speak. Then I sometimes panic and try to at least say something - ANYTHING - and it's usually the wrong thing.

I do have to say that my good parents, may the Dear Lord bless their souls - gave me an awful lot of support without it, I don't know what woulda happened to me. I was finally able to take my place in the world and I feel fairly successful especially when you consider that I was, indeed, fairly handicapped.

There are always exceptions to the rule. It's not like anyone can make complete sense of autism.

Ezra,

That's a good thought. I guess no two autistic people are exactly alike. But there are similarities. Haley Moss, in spite of her impressive and remarkable accomplishments, stated that she struggles a lot with "executive functioning". I had to Google for that 'cause I had no idea what that meant. I was brought back to "Autism Speaks" website. They state on there that there are four things that people who have that have issues with. I have problems with all four although #4 has greatly improved as I've gotten older. These are the four:

1. Organizing
2. Planning
3. Paying attention
4. Inhibiting inappropriate responses

My ASD-like daughter and I have a very difficult time speaking. That said, we are verbal and appear "average". She met the two-year milestone (30 words), one week after her 2nd birthday. She is introverted and quiet. I am extroverted and talk a mile-a-minute if I can. Here's the difference: our verbal ability relative to our intellectual ability is way, way, way, way lower. So we have a relative verbal disability. I can't distinguish if I am Autistic or Aspie. I was diagnosed "mild to moderate ASD" and publicly appear Aspie, but internally feel Autistic.

Similar to my daughter. She can talk but if you want meaningful communication with her, better draw.
She's diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, as in Poland the ICD-10 standard is used, not DSM-5.
According to DSM-5, the ASD diagnoses encompasses earlier diagnoses of Autism and Asperger's, there is no cutoff between them. Traditionally, Asperger's means autism + no intellectual disability + no history of significant speech delay.

I think Asperger's is more meningful in terms of shared experience of spending significant part of your life with unrecognized autistic traits.

Sharon,

I especially like what you said that "the difference: our verbal ability relative to our intellectual ability is way, way, way, way lower." That makes good sense. I guess that would include me, too.

-Fred

I tend to speak (and write) in the vernacular; whereas my mind can be pretty academic....

The problem is people have different opinions on what constitutes "delayed speech".

For some its not talking at all

For others its just limited speech

For others receptive to and from conversation ability

Many pure aspies may regard it as just un NT speech thats barely noticiable until teenage years.

Theres no common agreement from what i can gather. I talked on time but was told i used alot of echolalia in childhood but dont now, so dont know where that put me

I had zero speech until the age of 5 1/2.

Good day,

I'm not sure it applies or not but I was briefly deaf for short period, I cannot remember how long, if at birth or if I accidently self inflicted, between 2 and 4, I was completely silent and I was apparently at a state of harmony, not causing trouble and I would watch TV while deaf until it was brought up at an random GP inspection and after correcting it, I was non stop talker throughout and most of the words coming out of my mouth, at least, when I was primary (or kindergarten and elementary if you're over that side of the pond) I unusally copy what was on TV or what my dad said often and it was too approtiate for child to speak like that.

Without thinking of consquences but the second thing I am curious of, did anyone had at school or elsewhere like these speech therapy sessions. I had them throughout primary and it was fun, I get to draft any person in my class and it was get out of jail for them. I can't remember what the sessions was but it involved different methods of express emotions through writing, puppets and pictures and encourage better social interactions with other kids.

I might have been a ginua pig because this was the 2000's and the school was built in 1997 so it was training for teachers to deal with a person of my complications...and I was quite an handful

Most interesting. Since many people’s memory starts at about age four, do you remember not talking when you were 5½?

As I’ve said, I had no delay in speech THAT I KNOW OF (my parents are both dead so I can’t ask them if I did). Although I was essentially verbal, I did, in fact, have some issues talking and communicating. I also had some speech issues. It was a long time before I could clearly make the "sh" and "ch" sounds in English. In fact, those diagraphs are still not clear today for me although I can pronounce them better that I ever could.

Another puzzle, I was unable to whistle until I was 15. I don’t know why I couldn’t but I just couldn’t. I’d try and try and try but it just wouldn’t come for me. I’d just blow air.

I can whistle now, though, and am quite good at it. I can even do Scott Joplin!