FrayedKnot
Former Member
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- Nov 17, 2011
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This is actually one I am working on right now. According to the school district, all of the above get thrown under the blanket title ASD. But, then again, the district can't make a full diagnosis unless the parent allows them to be fully evaluated. That's here, doesn't apply everywhere.
When my nephew was diagnosed with ADHD through his psychiatrist, they were told that the doctor "considers" it an autism spectrum disorder.
Frankly, I am not sure if it is or not, or if it is up to the doctor whether to include it as an ASD. A lot of kids, while they're waiting for a diagnosis get termed as Pervasive Developmental Delay - Not Otherwise Specified. This is definitely on the autism spectrum, as far as I know, at least that's what I was told when my son was diagnosed with it. Later that became classical autism, for us. If he had been diagnosed with ADD instead, he might not have been on the spectrum anymore, but with the original PDD-NOS diagnosis, he would have been considered to have been on the spectrum at one point or still be ASD because of the original diagnosis.
My son has always been on the spectrum, my nephew was diagnosed outright as having ADHD, but my son's best friend was diagnosed as PDD-NOS, then rediagnosed as having ADD, and he is still referred to in current records as having an autism spectrum disorder.
And they wonder why we say it is so hard to even find out what is wrong with our kids, let alone have them treated?:banghead:
So, maybe they would assign SOME ADHD to the ASD spectrum, depending on the specific symptoms (like the ones that are also very common with Aspergers) and others would remain their own separate dx?
And yeah, I raise an eyebrow at the blanket thing, too, but OTOH, there are such a wide variety of symptoms to both ADHD and Aspergers...AND...they share SOME of them.....in SOME cases.....BUT....SOME of those same behaviors are found in other non-spectrum personality disorders.
No wonder it's so hard to dx our kiddos!
I need a nap.
Sorry for the OT but in a way it's not because although the Aspergers dx for AL seems to be cooborated by several sources, I still question if that was the "right" dx. Ya know, with all my vast medical/psych background. Lol.