showing traits of fragile x and aspergers

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this would mean a diagnosis of PDD-NOS correct? i have significant issues with attention and social anxiety and showed many of the characteristics of fragile x has a kid, i wanted to feel normal but was teased more than most kids for my behavior. is this rare to have characteristics of fragile x yet be high functioning?

It's one thing to have some fragile x characteristics, and another thing to actually have fragile x. I have some fragile x characteristics, but I graduated secondary school and college with no significant difficulties and also (more importantly) I don't have fragile x. Whether you have fragile x can be reliably verified by a DNA test.

On the other hand, you cannot presently be tested for asperger's syndrome, at least not in the same clinical fashion. It's merely gauged by how well you fit the symptoms.

You either have Fragile X or you don't. This can be verified by DNA test, as Fragile X is caused by mutation of a particular gene sequence on the X chromosome. If you have Fragile X, you would have some degree of mental retardation, and also physical characteristics of the disorder.

Saying that you have "traits of Fragile X" is like saying you have "traits of Down syndrome." It's not a spectrum disorder like autism- you have the mutation or you don't.

What is fragile x?

^^^
i'm also curious
i've never heard of it

http://www.fragilex.org/html/home.shtml

There's no such thing as "fragile X traits" - it's a yes/no situation. The way to verification is through a DNA test.

Issues with attention and social anxiety can be caused by a myriad number of issues. ADHD, ASD, social anxiety disorder, to name a few of the main ones. Those indications alone don't point to fragile X.

The most important thing one must understand about Fragile X is like autism it is a spectrum disorder, individuals may have little or no symptoms, or they could have severe symptoms.

You could have fragile X, a full mutation, and NOT have cognitive impairment, you could be very high functioning, especially if you are a female, or if you are a mosiac (which means you do produce some of the missing protein).

They have found many individuals in the pre-mutation range, they are carriers, may exhibit some traits associated with fragile X , Aspergers, Autism and/or ADHD.

In addition to reviewing the National Fragile X Foundation site I recommend specifically visiting the sections on Autism and Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X can be identified by a simple blood test, the FMR1 DNA test which is 99% accurate and there will soon be a new test which is as accurate but is very cost effective ($5 to $10) that should be soon available. The biggest problem with testing is many medical professionals have not kept up with the advances in the field once the gene was discovered in 1991. They are still testing by using chromosome or the new microarray analysis which should not be used to test for fragile X, although these tests can identify fragile X due to a deletion of the gene, only 1% of those with fragile X have fragile X because of the deletion. The chromosome analysis and microarray analysis tests have been proven to be unreliagle in diagnosing fragile X when the gene has mutated, they often produce FALSE negative results.

It is a myth that all with Fragile X have mental impairment. You can have fragile X, you can be a fragile X carrier and have normal or very high intelligence. You can have fragile X and not demonstrate any of the classic characteristics.

As someone who has done genetics research, and taught college genetics courses, I wanted to clarify. The above quote is essentially correct. There is a spectrum of symptoms. It is also correct that there is an absolute genetic test for it. It's not quite yes/no; it's really no/premutation/full mutation, but still, you can find out exactly which of those 3 categories you fall into with only a blood test. If you think you have it, and want to know, then you can get the test from your regular doctor. (They'll have to special order it, but any family doctor worth his/her salt can do that.)

As for whether fragile x would invalidate a diagnosis of AS/ASD, I think it would, but I'm not at all sure, nor would I trust answers on a forum. That's a question for a psychiatrist (and you still might get different answers depending on who you ask). But, I don't think PDD-NOS would be the diagnosis; you'd get a diagnosis of fragile x.

When I said it wasn't a spectrum, I was going by the definition of "spectrum" in psychiatry meaning "not a unitary disorder but rather a syndrome composed of subgroups." It is my understanding that Fragile X is a single disorder, although the expression of it may vary in severity. Perhaps this is not correct however. And all the examples of "spectrum disorder" that I have seen include disorders such as OCD, autism, etc., that are defined based on behavioral characteristics, and are not caused by a known genetic defect.

Fair enough. I deliberately didn't call it a "spectrum disorder" because I don't think it qualifies for that term, but it does unquestionably have a "spectrum" of sorts when it comes to the appearance of symptoms, hence "spectrum of symptoms". I also wasn't trying to call anyone out, sorry if you felt nitpicked.

No worries