Difference between AS and HFA

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Do you see how remarkable you are as you read your posts? I hope so. It is a hard thing to learn to cope when you dont know what you are coping with, and even though you may see some of your attempts as failures, they were not. You were failed by others, who couldnt see beyond their own assumptions.

You remind me of my brother. Your experiences were very similar and he didnt get a dx until about three years ago...at the age of about 40! Aspergers, and he doesnt think he is. He worked for ten years of his life, and lived with my mom the rest, including now.

The kind of work he did was in a manufacturing plant, also the kind of work i always chose for myself. Why? In manufacturing, you are usually doing your one job alone, or with just a few people. It is the same everyday, which for some gets monotonous, but for others offers security, and comfort. And they pay well, and give insurance! The hardest part is the interview and the first day...but the greatest thing? Someone always shows you, almost hand over hand in some cases, how to do the job, which is great for those with verbal communication issues. Consider this as an option.

Going to school is easier the older you are. Those of us who mature later, especially benefit from waiting. My oldest child is bi-polar at least, and is back in school. She was in special education all her life, and barely graduated, but she is on the dean's list for last quarter, and ended up with a 4.0 for her first two years. She does have trouble when she is on the down side of her bi=polar, or when she tries to work and go to school.....so carefully consider what YOU can do.

If you'd like you can write me personally, and i will try to support you through your decisions and fears. I do understand your fears

Have a wonderful day!! !
Tyger

This lecture I went to yesterday at the National Autism Conference said that they're considering removing AS as a diagnosis, because studies have shown that children who meet the diagnostic criteria for AS, also meet the diagnostic criteria for autism. So it'd become just HFA.

Last edited by LostInSpace on 01 Aug 2007, 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

are you serious? I wonder how this will affect everyone. How will people with Aspergers feel about this?

It could be a move toward better services, since Autism is actually an "eligibility" reason for concessions and support in our school system, while Aspergers usually gets none. They force them into regular classroom settings here. I knew two young men who were really good in math, and test scores made them automatically go into advanced math.

One boy was NT. His parents kept him in it, as he failed.

One boy was Aspergers. His parents stayed up til at least ten doing homework every night, until he was so stressed, they had to remove him from public school and put him in a school for children more like their son. But, had he been offered some help, say smaller classroom, individualized instruction, he could have stayed in the school where he was finally making friends.

Maybe it will be a help for all. I hope so.

tyger

What's going to be under the HFA label compared to "LFA"?

Are they going to separate the two with the silly IQ test?

The speaker didn't talk too much about the low/high distinction, although she did mention a couple of things. She said that although IQ results tended to correlate with high/low functioning (from which you can also infer that she doesn't consider IQ to be the criterion that should be used in the labeling), you can have a very low IQ and be high-functioning, or be low-functioning and have a very high IQ. She said that the low/high functioning label can be tricky, because it depends on the task you are speaking about. Are they low functioning with activities of daily living? With language? With social skills? So this speaker at least definitely understands the difficulty inherent in using labels like high-functioning and low-functioning. She did offer ideas for different approaches to be taken with high functioning kids versus low functioning kids, but what she emphasized is that you need to begin at whatever that kid's level is for the particular task. So I think she was approaching these labels from a very practical standpoint.

Bear in this that this is just under consideration- it's not definite yet that they're ditching Asperger's.

There does seem to be a big difference between the 2, but I cannot really put my finger on it. I'm HFA, positive about that, and the therapist is having a hard time diagnosing because he is looking at Asperger's, and while I meet all of the criteria for it, I also had speech delay, lots of stims, and a lot of trouble comprehending things at times. I don't get into computers much or sci-fi and all, but I absolutely love stuff that has to do with colors and sorting things. Maybe there is a difference in that itself? Most Aspies I have seen talk about what they do are involved in something very technical, or just too high up for me to fully understand. I've also talked to Aspies on the phone and they make it a point to mention that I am not an Aspie, but I am HFA instead. I've talked to 2 or 3 of them, and they all do it, with a sound of dissappointment almost in their voice.

To me making a distinction between HFA and Asperger Condition is splitting hairs. I don't call myself a syndrome though because the word syndrome is very dehumanizing and demeaning, as I do not see myself as an "epidemic" or a social cancer for being an aspie.

LostInSpace,

Thanks. Social, academic and vocational achievements have always been a good indicator for the severity of the disorders, i.e., I have learning difficulties which affect my academic performance even though I’ve got the aforementioned capability for a stupidly high IQ; this high IQ does nothing to get the knowledge in my head. My academic achievements since primary school have been zero (this would satisfy a low functioning label if you look at it objectively), social achievements “out there” have been zero (again) and I’ve never worked a day in my life due to my inability to work with people (a whole slew of reasons; low functioning again).

Since I look "ok", I can handle daily affairs and I can talk to professionals one on one I'm said to be pretty good (high functioning) for someone who is diagnosed with autistic disorder; too bad I've achieved nothing (objectively).

nobodyzdream,

If you had the delay in speech and/or other verbal impairments, you wouldn't meet the current diagnostic criteria for Asperger's, you'd most likely meet the criteria for autistic disorder -- interests and whatnot don't really define anything (other than the severity of your obsession); I'm a sci-fi "geek".

I thought that was it as well, at first. But it seems to be a rather common reaction from Aspies to me, lol-I mean personal reaction... not meaning that as a negative thing at all, but it seems to be a fact to me-and only because I have not met any that have much interest in the things that I do. I can keep up with conversation until it turns technical, but at the same time, I can tell someone my favorite color is cerulean blue and they have no clue what I mean. So I guess it is the same both ways, but it is odd they actually pointed out that I'm HFA. I did have the speech delay, as well as skipping crawling and going straight to walking... but I didn't start walking until I was around 3, lol. I guess I just kind of laid there until then or grabbed things and dragged myself around? I just do find it interesting that the interest thing does seem to be common ground when it comes to interests. Once I heard someone say "I'm going to read my sci-fi book now... you would understand that if you are an Aspie". lol, it wasn't that I didn't understand the need to go read something one is interested in, but the fact that... I dunno, that I didn't get very excited about it seemed to set me apart somehow.

I am thinking this is the same for everyone, is it not?

This is how I think of myself.

I was diagnosed using only the autism criteria. Met enough to get HFA. Also diagnosed late at age 27.

nobodyzdream,

We all have our interests. ;) I'm a sci-fi "geek" in that when I was little (before my first memory), I'd sit down and watch the old Battlestar Galactica series over, over and over again; my first memory is doing the same with Star Wars. I don't believe I spoke for the first 3 years, and when I started it would be blunt, 'spoon!' and when I started uttering sentences it would be "weird", 'girl, go there!' The thing is, around the same time (+1 year) when I went to the doctor's office to get my chin put back together I spoke extremely fluently and clear (due to fear), ha, and they picked up my tongue thrust then -- which led to speech therapy (the tongue thrust is why everyone thought I didn’t speak), which fixed my tongue thrust and unknowingly “fixed” my verbal impairment, i.e., I learnt to speak grammatically correct by inducting the sentences she had me recite into my mind. I walked when I was 9 months old.

renaeden,

I don’t know, is it? I explained it to someone who is “normal” and smart and I received an answer of bemusement. She said the words form instantly from her thoughts (not "pictures"); all I see is pictures and I have to search through the list of words (which are images) in my mind and place them in the correct position. :/ I guess I'm just "slower" than the average bear....

Same.... Though, I have undoubtedly come to the conclusion that I do indeed have Kanner's autism; so have those around me; I really don't know how I'd be without a caring mother.

That's pretty much the same as me, though my psychic never used the term HFA; he just said how I appeared and presented myself well (the speech therapy thing and my mother buying me clothes), I'd be above many who have Kanner's autism; but still well below those with Asperger's.

I always post something like this but...

I wish that the people who use "Kanner" as a descriptor would actually look at what Kanner's paper actually says. Most or all of his patients would've qualified as "HFA" by today's standards, some possibly as "AS".

anbuend,

Thanks for posting that, but I don't see someone with Kanner's autism as someone who cannot function at all and partakes in self-harm all day long; the DSM-IV-TR describes autistic disorder as Kanner's autism and that's what I see it as (I'm sure you know the criteria for autistic disorder).

My psychic said I was "good" for someone with Kanner's autism; I've achieved no milestones that are considered "normal" (post-primary school). I wonder what "bad" is...?

You have made progress post primary!

I dont think in primary school, you were able to come onto a board on the internet, and fluidly express your thoughts did you?

You have found the medium that works for you. Writing!

I'd say that is a huge milestone, honey, but one the NT"s you're around may take for granted. Dont let them...write to them! I find you very articulate. It may take time for you to post, i really dont know, but it works well for you. It works well for me too.

tyger

I was referring more to the people in this thread who used "Kanner's" as meaning "not AS or HFA". (When in fact if it means anything at all it just means "usually not AS".)

Anbuend,

Yeah, you're correct. Kanner's autism and Asperger's disorder are the "official" disorders.

tygereyes,

More nice words, thanks.

I was good after the first few years in primary (that's 1-7 here), I just needed to adjust; when I was in high school (the "bad" years) I couldn't put my thoughts to paper, I couldn't really put anything to paper. I can do it now because I'm detached from that environment, I now realize that there is something "wrong" with me and talking through this medium is the first step; perhaps I'll never be able to interact socially with people I don't know (I can talk to my mother fine), and you're right; I should be happy that I can make my thoughts heard and it is indeed a milestone. Words are words no matter where they're heard.