What does it all mean

Post Reply New Topic

I got my sons results from the team who observed and tested him... There results state he is given the diagnosis of autism disorder....ok so what does that mean ...is he severe mild not so much so much its scary high functioning low functioning ....what ...how do you make sense of all the scores to know where he falls...HELP

Was it in writing? Was there a full report? If so, perhaps there will be something in the body of the report. If not you will need to contact them and ask. Surely they made recommendations for what he will need? If so, that will give a lot of information as to how low or high functioning he is. As you know it is a spectrum, they need to be a little more specific if they haven't stated.

It is a full report there are some recommendations but it doesn't say where he lies on the spectrum ...it's gives all of his test scores but I guess I'm looking for the words high or low functioning and mild or severe autism and in just not finding it honestly it all looks like Greek to me and Im a nurse I figured it would make sense to me but im almost embarrassed that it doesn't ....of course I am only a surgical nurse and not specialize in autism by any means

Really, "high" and "low" functioning are not very useful terms, so this may be why they didn't use them. Many of us can function well in some areas, and poorly in others. In addition, many life factors influence how we function. If he gets better help, he will do better than if he gets poor help. (Note that I refer to the quality of help, not quantity.) In any case, the "experts" understand what they see on the outside - most of them have no idea what goes on inside our minds. So you may find more help here, talking to us.

Perhaps if it says things like that he needs 'speech therapy' that would probably tell you he's on the lower functioning side? If he has or had a speech delay that would mean it's not Asperger's, so that would be one ruled out. Does he have any more severe issues such as is he OK to use the toilet alone and does he have severe balance issues or anything? I would guess if he has no noticeably severe issues, is communicating well etc. then he would probably be more higher functioning.

If they have trouble noticing his autistic characteristics than he is probably more mild (or moderate) and high-functioning.

I too do much better around people I know. I'm much more relaxed and at ease once I've mapped someone out.

Something that might help put your mind at ease in regards to your son's future regardless of where on the spectrum he ends up being: google Dr Temple Grandin. She's is totally amazing and a shining example of what a classic autistic can achieve with good support.

Actually, I suspect you may find this cuts both ways. At least in my experience, on the one hand, yes, I was more relaxed and willing to talk, interact, and so on with people I knew. In that sense, I was "less autistic" around them. On the other hand, around strangers, I'd bottle a lot of things up that would come spewing out later, when I felt safe. He may not be old enough for this yet, of course, but if not then you want to be aware this can happen. (Note: "strangers" does not necessarily mean people unknown to you, or even to him. In this context, I mean anyone at all I wasn't comfortable with. Some people I'd become comfortable with fairly quickly, while others I never learned to be comfortable around.)

This is not really something we can answer for you. Does he have autistic disorder? aspergers? autism spectrum disorder? What was the exact term they used? Is he verbal or not? (verbal rarely fall into low-functioning, but are either high or moderate functioning). High-functioning doesn't mean mild, but only the psych can tell you if he is mild, moderate, or severe. Can he do many things himself, or do you have to do basically everything for him? Can he socialize/communicate in a way that you recognize, or does he always seem in his own world/absent to you? I am surprised you were not given more information...

Yeah, you're kind of lucky they didn't label him with "high-functioning" or "low-functioning". Those labels are pretty well meaningless; they have no official definition, however much people insist on using them. Even more confusing, more often than not an autistic person will be "high-functioning" in one area and "low-functioning" in others. In the worst cases, functioning labels become stereotypes: "Low-functioning" means "You can't do anything", and "high-functioning" means "You don't deserve help." I've spent a long time trying to fight that.

Scattered skills--extreme talents, extreme deficits--are very normal for autistics. Even development isn't predictable. Though we all learn as we grow older, there's no way of telling what a person will be like at twenty just from seeing him at ten, and no way of telling what he'll be like at ten from what he's like when he's three. Autistic people do not develop typically--we're simply not on the same timetable as typical kids.

Here's what you should do. Get an appointment with the evaluator. Discuss the results of the testing. Ask: What are your son's major challenges? What are his talents? Does the testing give clues about what the best way to teach him will be? Does he have problems that are getting in the way of his learning--for example, sensory problems, anxiety, or social phobia? Why did they make those particular recommendations?

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Get them to explain things to you if you aren't sure. Question the doctor and remember that the professionals can be wrong despite their education and experience; at the same time, think of the doctor as a resource you can use to help your son grow up healthy and happy.