My not diagnoses granddaughter

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hi, my 18 yr.old granddaughter has never been diagnosed with autism or aspergers, but we know she is somewhere on the spectrum -- doesn't recognize social clues,stays on an interested topic forever, immature, and hard for me to explain, but just acts different. She was speech delayed and still has a poor vocabulary for her age. She's very smart, has a high, high school cum,and tries very hard. She will be tested in school soon to try to get a diagnosis.
Whatever I've read about aspergers is that they are very verbal. Next year we hope she will be in college.

As a young child, she has had much therapy and has always improved. She a very happy girl, has friends( special ed kids), and is interested in many things.

Has anyone else with aspergers been speech delayed? Any comments or any suggestions for her success would be welcomed. Thank you.

I was speech delayed a small child because I had hearing loss as a baby so I didn't learn to speak. I was learning and then I got hearing loss so I stopped babbling eventually and was quiet. Then I had to learn to speak again when I got my hearing back. My verbal IQ had always been low too.

According to the DSM IV's Diagnostic Criteria for Asperger's Disorder: "There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)."

I've always wondered what the outcome would be if the language delay were caused by something other than a spectrum-related disorder? League Girl's hearing loss would be one scenario...

I have once read some people with aspergers had speech delay, and I am interested in seeing if she has occurred with others. Besides that, as a baby she also had poor eye contact,poor socially, in school couldn't focus, but as I said before with therapy over time everything improved. She is a visual learner. Thanks for the replies.

I am sure the doctors drop it like mine did for me. According to the DSM criteria, you are not to have schizophrenia but some aspies do have that and still get diagnosed with AS but according to the criteria, they are cured from it. According to the ADHD criteria, they can't have autism but yet they get diagnosed with it anyway.

I don't really like criterias because they are made up by doctors and it leaves people on the gray. They have symptoms and they are impaired by it but yet they don't have enough for the diagnoses. Doctors have to diagnose them with it anyway just so they get the help they need or the support. Or they just diagnose them with "(insert label here) traits."

I had speech problems in addition to motor skill delays and reading issues. I learned to talk at the correct time, just I could not be understood. I also talked WAY to much. Hope your grand daughter is able to get the support she needs.

Also, I made it through college and am now applying to graduate school. It is possible. If she moves away for college though think about a single room to give her the space she needs to get away from people, deal with sensory issues, and explore her interests. I think for me it did more harm than good to have roommates. I wanted to share a room at first to gain the social skills. To say it was a disaster wan an understatement. Once I had a single room (shared an apartment though) it worked better. Single dorm room or one person apartment was best though.

Hope it all works out well!

With a speech delay (caused by nothing else) would either give a diagnosis of HFA (classic autism) or PDDNOS (if she doesn't fully fit classic) if she is on the spectrum and if the diagnostician is following the DSM.