Social Communication Disorder

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I see a speech language pathologist for SCD. I bring in examples of times that I failed and we figure out what to do in similar situations in the future. We decide how to word things so they aren't so blunt. We figure out how I'm supposed to act in upcoming social situations. If there's a grad student in the office I have to make small talk with them and the SLP so I can learn proper small talk. The things I do for treatment with a diagnosis of SCD are the same things an adult with ASD would do for treatment in regards to the social issues.

Thanks for coming back to tell us about your treatment. Does the SLP use some sort of treatment plan, or is it up to the client to bring examples?

Also, that's terrible about the parents not getting services for their kids. The diagnosis shouldn't matter so much if the deficits are there.

There are some technical differences with the Class B criteria between DSM IV and DSM V, so it's entirely possible to meet both SCD and AS (IV), but not ASD.

According to the new DSM, SCD can only be diagnosed if there is no restrictive and repetitive behaviors but what if someone had that but they didn't meet enough of the social and communication part in the ASD criteria? What if they did meet enough in the second part but not enough in the first part? Would they be in between labels and be an NT with ASD traits?

She actually does bring up a fair point, if the behaviours are not maladaptive, unjustified, disturbing and atypical then it's NOT a symptom.

Stimming isn't called stimming unless you depend on it. If you don't stim and it results in a meltdown- it's a stim.

Special interests are usually way more intense then just "I like movies" and usually it's way more specific, such as a single movie or a single director.

The only thing I disagree with is the change thing. I do react this way to change however my autistic friend does NOT. He reacts to change typically. I sometimes become suicidal when my setting and routine changes.

For the most part I agree with her, how do you feel about your diagnoses?

If you define it that way, than I definitely do not meet the DSM V criteria for AS. However, I'm definately autistic, it's just a bit more slippery than the DSM can check for if taken literally.

I feel she is a little misinformed, stimming could be anything, like leg bouncing, or even pacing,or a squishy ball in the hand, or a bunch of car keys, or stroking your lip because it feels silky smooth, staring at lights or fans, mouth movements like a yawn type movement, blinking etc I dont think these things result in severely impeding on activities, if anything they would often help someone on the spectrum concentrate more. Anything that feels a form of relaxation, some are mild some are sever (and may need to stim in a safe private setting), sounds more like she is getting mixed up with interests!
Also might be worth asking her to define the word ""SPECTRUM"". !

I am in Canada and my psychologist who assessed me last year just used the DSM IV instead to diagnose me with Asperger's. I haven't had any issue with doctors accepting that diagnosis.

As long as nobody knows the causes of autism, and it presents in so many different ways, it makes sense to put every case into a large bucket diagnosis like Autism Spectrum Disorder. Splitting it into subgroups might be useful as soon as researchers know what they are dealing with, but in the meantime it might be more practical for everyone if the US were to follow the international system.

I just read some newspaper story about a study of autistic genes, which claimed that there is no cutoff point, no clear demarcation between autistic and non-autistic. If so, the defining question is the same as for every mental illness; does it interfere with normal life and happiness or not? Which means that life circumstances and health will be a big factor for people near the cutoff point.

Also, I see one really useful thing about the Asperger's diagnosis. It is not possible for every NT in the world to become and expert autism and its many ways. If "Aspergers" is shorthand for "troubled, but probably able to hold down a job", it is hardly scientific, but a very useful label to keep from being shunted out of working life by people who think you are Rain Man if you say you are autistic. Or who doubt your autism because you seem too NT.

Wow there's a lot of responses. I wish this forum were set up like Reddit so you could directly respond to one statement. I'm not sure which are directed at me but here goes.

I had a two-hour assessment at the beginning and a report was made based on that. The SLP knows me now so she can anticipate things I'll have a problem with or how I'm likely to respond.

Every single behavior you have doesn't need a diagnosis. Some things can be "abnormal" and just be left at that. If you're between labels, the most appropriate one is chosen. Sometimes the label doesn't matter.

I'm not saying that I have a special interest. At the time, movies/TV shows was my main hobby so if I had to have a special interest it would have been that. I know better than to drop to the floor in a public place. I've learned to stifle the feeling as best as possible until I'm alone where I can flip out. I'm fine with the diagnosis. The information available is for children so adults are left out like when Asperger's was introduced. The label doesn't matter; the treatment for SCD and ASD are the same in regards to social symptoms. If someone were to ask why I was such a weirdo I'd say, "I have a communication disorder similar to Asperger's."

With my insurance, diagnoses have to be made from the current version of the DSM so Asperger's isn't an option anymore.

So the rules get bent then. Stupid criterias. That is why I despise them. I had an online friend tell me that if you have symptoms but didn't have enough for a diagnoses but still got that diagnoses, you're a fraud. I felt that was unfair because people are supposed to suffer then and not get help just because they don't have enough symptoms that impair them? I guess we can make up You Suck Syndrome aka Alien Syndrome or Bad Luck syndrome. Too bad we all need labels to get the help we need instead of by symptoms. At least you don't need one when you go see a psychologist or a psychiatrist but you need one for school, for voc rehab and all. And what about for getting on disability? I hear you can still get on it if you are a slow learner and it disables you but you would have to prove you are not able to work due to below average intelligence. But I also find it strange that a slow learner is considered normal and doesn't qualify as a disability in the states but it does in Sweden and Netherlands.

I hate how people get so caught up on labels and go all black and white about it "You either have it or you don't" and saying how you need to meet the criteria to have it. It's like people think if you have symptoms, you're okay.

The label groups a set of symptoms together so they're easier to identify. If someone comes in with ASD, there's a general picture of how the person may present. If you had to list each single symptom it would be ridiculous. Being a slow learner does qualify as a disability; "slow learner" is just the wrong label.
Also, "diagnoses" is plural like dogs while "diagnosis" is singular like dog.

It says on lot of web pages that below average intelligence isn't considered a disability nor are they covered under the ADA and they do not qualify for special education. Another word for it is borderline intellectual functioning.

Of course. If you have a good support system, or your problems are mild. For a lot of people, children in particular, an imprecise or partial diagnosis might mean they get help for some things but not for other things which are crucial for them to function and to get an education..

For ex., Sweden has been experimenting with standardized sick leaves, wherein sick people are allocated a certain number of days to recover from whatever ails them before returning to work. Any doctor worth his salt will tell you that these things are very individual, depending on other health conditions, lifestyle, family support, and first and foremost genes and age. In mass systems, cost cutting is a huge priority, and so a precise diagnosis becomes extremely important to secure services.

I agree that overdiagnosing people is not helpful, and that not everything has to be fixed - the logical conclusion to that is turning us all into clones of each other. But a bunch of splinter diagnoses is a classic case of divide and conquer.

If tomorrow someone told me I was not even remotely autistic, then I guess I'd say I'm an NT with a lot in common with autistic people. People with the same problems need to stick together, never mind the labels.

Sweden: Like if someone has a cold they'd only be allowed to take x number of days even if they're still sick? That's dumb.

Clones: Have you seen Orphan Black? It's an amazing show about clones. They all have very different personalities and issues even though they are genetically identical.

In a word: Yes. Yeah, it's a recipe for disaster. I wonder how many more bureaucrats they'll have to hire to deal with the inevitable problems.



Just googled the show, it seems really cool. If you're interested in cloning, there is a fantastic science fiction book by C.J. Cherryh called Cyteen, a sequel to Downbelow Station. It's really wonderful, and deals with the question of how much out personality is influenced by genes and life experience.