I’ve said several times now that you learn a lot on the Autism journey. There are a lot of new phrases and terms related to autism that we have heard for the first time, but which now play a significant role in our lives. Victoria only has a diagnosis of Autism but it is not uncommon for those on the spectrum to also have other conditions as well, making diagnosis particularly tricky. There are also several types of autism on the spectrum, some of which have terms that are no longer used today and some have changing names and acronyms. As I say, Victoria doesn’t have any condition other than autism as far as we know but I thought it would be worth listing the ones I am aware of in case the main traits ring a bell with anyone looking for a diagnosis for their child.
ASD is the most commonly used acronym for Autism – Autism Spectrum Disorder. However there is a move to rebrand this as ASC – Autism Spectrum Condition because some feel the word “disorder” comes with negative connotations. I’m not personally fussed but given that people with autism often struggle with change, I’d leave it as ASD!
Asperger’s Syndrome was previously used to describe a person with what we now call “high functioning autism”. Basically, autism without the severe communication difficulties present in those with “low functioning autism”. It’s not generally used in diagnosis any more but is still in common use.
PDA – Pathological Demand Avoidance falls under the Autism spectrum where the person has autism-like behaviours mainly centred around a deep anxiety about not being in control and will resist any instruction or demand made of them.
CDD – Childhood Disintegrative Disorder or Heller’s Syndrome – is often considered as a type of low-functioning autism. Those with CDD will often simply stop developing at a young age and often regress in areas of social, language, cognitive and/or motor skills.
Then there are many conditions that display some of the same traits as autism but are separate conditions such as:
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) causes people to avoid social interaction for fear of rejection.Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where the sufferer has compulsive thoughts and behaviours.
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is where a child fails to form social and emotional bonds, often due to neglect and abuse.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder in children, including those with autism, where the child will be restless, impulsive and have a very short attention span. There is also Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which is basically ADHD without the hyperactivity.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a hearing issue which means a child will not hear the same as you and I as their brains and ears do not work together in the normal way causing issues with understanding spoken language.
There are many, many more but you get the idea. The fact is there are so many that they can sometimes confuse an autism diagnosis and many similar and related conditions can only be diagnosed by assessment. And by that I mean there is no specific test for the condition which will tell you with certainty that someone has it, such as autism; there is only one way to know if someone has autism and that is through many assessments with a number of paediatricians and therapists. There are however a number of such conditions that can be tested for through genetic testing, something we went through at the early stages of Victoria’s diagnosis to rule out other, rarer genetic disorders. The number of these conditions that can be tested for (ie pinpointed to a specific faulty or missing gene) grows all the time so it’s certainly worth accepting any offer of genetic testing in my opinion, if only to rule out some rare conditions named after long-dead scientists!
Again, just in my opinion, but be sure that other conditions are ruled in or out as appropriate as some are treatable with medication (eg ADHD) and some just need managing (eg Autism). As I’m no expert in this area I will stop here, but the point of this post was simply to highlight that we humans are a pretty complex bunch and while a diagnosis or a “label” can be useful in some ways, there are many labels out there that may help or hinder, so research and lots of battling are as always the order of the day.