hester386 wrote:
Yes, I had delayed speech. Even though the diagnostic criteria says people with AS don’t have a speech delay. I didn’t start talking until I was 3 and a half years old. I guess it’s possible I may have PDD-NOS, but every thing else seems to indicate AS.
What do you mean by delayed speech? Was it that you couldn't talk or didn't talk until 3.5 years old? I believe the DSM criteria focuses on "language acquisition" (see DSM comments) and the ability to communicate, as opposed to whether the child actually does communicate verbally.
For example, my Aspie son would rarely talk when he was a toddler/preschooler and then only a 1-3 words at a time. People would often ask me if he could talk because he would go hours without saying a word. He had a huge vocabulary and knew how to read and spell well beyond his peers (which he often demonstrated nonverbally). He COULD talk; he just didn't talk unless it was absolutely necessary to communicate something that he couldn't in another manner.