Children can be misdiagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and not actually be autistic. It is concerning enough for a parent to be told their child is on the Autism Spectrum, but for a child to be misdiagnosed as having autism can cause unnecessary stress and worry for the family.
It is up to you whether you decide to seek a diagnosis, and some people are happy to remain self-diagnosed. The only way to know for sure whether you are autistic is to get a formal diagnosis.
Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months to 18 months of age or earlier. Some early signs of autism include: Problems with eye contact.
Masking may involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations.
You absolutely are neurodivergent if you have been diagnosed with a developmental or learning disorder, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or Tourette's syndrome. You may decide to consider yourself neurodivergent if you have no diagnosis but think, behave, or interact in ways that are outside the norm.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism." In other words, it's the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms.
Early signs of autism include atypical social and communication behaviour, repetitive behaviour or movements, and intense interests. Early signs of autism usually appear in the first 1-2 years of life. Some children have many early signs of autism, whereas others have only a few.
find it hard to communicate and interact with other people. find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable. get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events.
Autism tests for adults may include several options: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) Module 4: The ADOS-2 is the gold standard for diagnosing autism in people of all ages. Module 4 is used specifically for adults and is not a questionnaire.
Many biological conditions can lead to social difficulties, including autism. However, not all autistic individuals will display social awkwardness (though they may struggle inwardly). Moreover, not everyone who is socially awkward is autistic. And, in fact, they don't necessarily have a diagnosable condition.
It is a spectrum disorder, meaning there is a broad variation in the types and severity of symptoms. No two people with ASD have the same symptoms. Borderline autism is not an official term or diagnosis. Instead, it is an informal term referring to less severe ASD symptoms.
One recent study found that up to 50% of children with a genetic disorder called 22q11. 2 deletion syndrome were told they had autism when they didn't. That's because many of the symptoms of 22q11. 2 deletion syndrome, including delayed speech development, can also be signs of autism.
In some ways Williams syndrome is the opposite of autism. For example, people with Williams syndrome love to talk and tell stories, whereas those with autism usually have language delay and little imagination. Many people with Williams syndrome draw disjointed pictures, some with autism draw pictures in perfect detail.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism can look a lot alike. Children with either one can be very active and impulsive, and can have trouble focusing and interacting with other people. In fact, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two.
So if there's no genetic history in the family, where does a child's autism come from? A key fact has come to light within the last couple of years: many autism-causing genetic mutations are “spontaneous.” They occur in the affected child, but in neither parent.
The bottom line
If you already have one child with ASD, you have a 1 in 5 chance of your next child developing autism. If you have more than one child with ASD, the odds of having another child with ASD are even higher. Certain conditions, like ADHD, also appear to have some predictive value.
There is not just one cause of ASD. There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
The spiky profile quiz consists of 20 questions across 6 categories (Analytical, Relationships, Situational, Numerical, Verbal, Visual) and the results are aggregated to identify the most appropriate profile match.
Hyperlexia is advanced and unexpected reading skills and abilities in children way beyond their chronological age. It is a fairly recently named condition (1967) although earlier descriptions of precocious reading do exist.
“Neurodivergent” refers to a person with autism, ADHD, or dyslexia. Things can get a bit confusing because people use the terms “neurodivergent” and “neurodiverse” interchangeably. There is no firm definition of these terms. Neurodiversity is not a medical term, and neurodiverse is not a diagnosis.