Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

Thanks everyone.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

Was a little nerve wracking. A lot of stuff about very early childhood that I couldn't answer. I said 'maybe' to some stuff ie I wasn't sure. I was getting the impression,rightly or wrongly, she was taking those as a 'yes' . I struggled to answer what I did in my spare time at home and at boarding school. Mind was a virtual blank. Have got another appt on 27th this month and 13th next month. I'm not sure if that's par for the course, or if they're sure you're not on the spectrum they tell you straight out and there's no need for other appointments.

Got a Ritvo to do with some questions to fill in . One part was about other diagnoses including psychiatric ones. That's got me flustered as they want doctor's/clinic name. It seemed very ambivalent to me ie are they asking for current dx or dx back when first dxed in 1975?

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I have to fill in the RAADs for my assessment but am stumped on the questions re normal rhythm/normal tone/unusual voice.


How does my voice sound here?




https://vocaroo.com/i/s1QcNTBTpdlJ

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

^ You have a lovely voice Firemonkey, NOT unusual at all. You sound very well spoken (which is good!), speak very clearly, and sound much more confident than I would have imagined considering you suffer with anxiety. I also thought that you put a lot of feeling into the piece you were reading, certainly not monotone in your deliverance.

Don't know if that helps at all :shrugs:

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

It seems opinions vary as to how it is.

For example from other forums-

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

^ Are these comments from people on other mental heath forums?

I'm flummoxed by some of their descriptions, tbh.
Higher pitch than usual for a man? What the heck are they talking about! Some men have deep voices, some have high pitched voices but yours sounds somewhere in between. It's an average sounding man's voice!

The sing songy comment perhaps is a different way of saying what I said about you having put some expression and feeling into your reading. That's surely better than something that comes across as boring and monotone?

When you ask people for their opinions on such things they are always going to give conflicting opinions. Pick out the comments that you like and discard the ones that you don't Firemonkey. :)

I bet most of them wouldn't have had the courage to record their voice on a public forum. I think you've done really well :smile2:

Also, don't forget how you sound on the recording won't be exactly how you sound in real life, plus I imagine when you feel that you are 'putting on a performance' your voice may be affected by nerves although I wasn't aware of that.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

You sound like you're reading something on the radio! Perhaps that is what the other comments mean? I don't think there is anything odd about it.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I sounded a lot posher when I was younger. I think I'm more Estuary than Received pronunciation now .

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I don't find the questions about speech patterns offensive , but how are you supposed to know whether your own speech patterns are different/unusual? Hence the need to ask other people. The trouble being there's a diverse range of opinions and it's hard to judge who's actually saying it is as it is and who's being diplomatic.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I agree it seems to not make any sense. Unless of course the people doing the test who claim to be neurotypical are more likely to have very mild ASD symptoms.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I have heard of kids now being diagnosed with Sensory Processing disorder separately to Autism.
I think that there can be a lot of difference between people with Autism though because of the fact that it is a spectrum but there are basic factors/symptoms that are the same. Like stimming behaviours, difficulties with social cues, sensory sensitivities, melt downs, obsessive focus and need for routines etc.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I think autistic children who are verbal can display unusual prosody. I don't know how common this is but it can be an indicator. I have known a number of autistic children who speak in very high-pitched voices.

Comorbidity is common I believe. As Dougella has said, some children with autism have a sensory processing disorder. The two examples you give though, could describe children at different ends of the spectrum. I have taught an autistic child who was non-verbal, loved climbing the furniture, drinking toilet water, etc and another with excellent language, very artistic, can make intricate models and give me explanations for just about anything. Both are autistic though, their autism affects them in different ways.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I remember very well the Chris Packham documentary, where he discussed his Aspergers.

If you watch a programme with Chris Packham in it, you simply wouldn't know that he had Aspergers. But when I saw his documentary where he discussed his Aspergers, you could definitely tell he was affected by it.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

^^ That is what I thought, one person could have Asperger's (which I know isn't necessarily a diagnosis anymore) and another could have severe autism and be non verbal but they are both on the autistic spectrum.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

Yes, Asperger's is no longer separate and falls under ASD now. Two children at either end of the spectrum would be incredibly different.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

I don't really think of autism as a medical condition, in the same way that epilepsy, for example, is a medical condition. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. I do agree that it can be difficult to diagnose and there are no solid causes as of yet. I think autism is more than a set of traits though, there is a triad of impairment and simply having a trait such as echolalia would not necessarily be indicative of autism. Echolalia can be linked to speech and language difficulties, which in turn could cause poor social skills.

Again, with obsessions, it's more than just an intense interest or hobby. A child in my class at the moment who is clearly autistic, absolutely loves windmills. All he wants to make are windmills. He will look at pictures of them on an iPad until he finds the perfect one and then asks an adult to make an exact replica. When the adult cannot make the perfect windmill, screaming, crying and throwing of objects ensues. It can be very difficult to calm him down or distract him. This to me, is an obsession. This child is high-functioning but I don't believe these behaviours are just part of a personality type. As this child leaves the Early Years (he is currently five) he will need a diagnosis and one to one support going forward.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

This is the levels according to the dsm 5. I'm not sure whether the ICD has levels.

https://autism.lovetoknow.com/Differ...vels_of_Autism

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

^^ I think I agree with your viewpoint there Indigo_. Just because people with Autism are counted as high functioning doesn't mean that they don't need a lot of ongoing one to one support. My Mum has been a one to one support assistant for a number of teenagers who would fit that description, they might be continent, able to do things for themselves and able to communicate but they have some quite profound problems with social interactions and some have been considered vulnerable enough that they needed support at all times, including break times.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

Some comments from my sister.

Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
 

A talk about Autism in women and girls by an Autistic woman.