had assesment - still not right

This is a tricky area with many dimensions, and I may possibly be accused of hypocrisy because I have suggested in a previous thread that misdiagnosis of AS may be more common than we presume, me playing Devil's Advocate. But I also accept that there are people with AS who are overlooked, misdiagnosed with something else.

I cannot comment on Jon's case because I do not know his situation, so it may well be that Jon has been misdiagnosed and does have AS, but equally the doctor might be correct.

However, I think what Longman says is very plausible, and there should be more research done on people who do not meet the full AS criteria, but who still have difficulties that are similar to those with an actual diagnosis of AS. People without a diagnosis may struggle with depression due to social interaction difficulties and these difficulties should be taken into account, and doctors should avoid simple medical approaches. THere is, in fact, something called the Broader Autism Phenotype, which means someone can have traits of AS, but not enough of them to meet the threshold for diagnosis. Again, more research should be done.

Regarding Jon's comments on friendship and eye-contact: I do make eye-contact, but often find it uncomfortable, particularly in close proximity. Moreover, I gain no real information from the eyes, although I can sometimes vaguely work things out with my Dad, but only because I know him very well. I have learnt how to gesture, but struggle to understand other people's gestures. I did play with other children as a child, and initiated contact, but I could not maintain friendships and often fell out with people. As a teenager I had no friendships, and currently only have acqaintances. Making friends has become harder the older I have got. People with AS often do play with other children, but questions should be asked about the quality of this interaction because having AS means that the child would interact atypically. The same with metaphors: I get most metaphors now, but only because I have learnt them, but I did not learn them inferentially, as Longman puts it, like the other kids did. I learnt the meaning of metaphors from my parents, by being told what they mean. I often took things literally as a child, and still do sometimes, but not as much as I did.

This is a tricky area with many dimensions, and I may possibly be accused of hypocrisy because I have suggested in a previous thread that misdiagnosis of AS may be more common than we presume, me playing Devil's Advocate. But I also accept that there are people with AS who are overlooked, misdiagnosed with something else.

I cannot comment on Jon's case because I do not know his situation, so it may well be that Jon has been misdiagnosed and does have AS, but equally the doctor might be correct.

However, I think what Longman says is very plausible, and there should be more research done on people who do not meet the full AS criteria, but who still have difficulties that are similar to those with an actual diagnosis of AS. People without a diagnosis may struggle with depression due to social interaction difficulties and these difficulties should be taken into account, and doctors should avoid simple medical approaches. THere is, in fact, something called the Broader Autism Phenotype, which means someone can have traits of AS, but not enough of them to meet the threshold for diagnosis. Again, more research should be done.

Regarding Jon's comments on friendship and eye-contact: I do make eye-contact, but often find it uncomfortable, particularly in close proximity. Moreover, I gain no real information from the eyes, although I can sometimes vaguely work things out with my Dad, but only because I know him very well. I have learnt how to gesture, but struggle to understand other people's gestures. I did play with other children as a child, and initiated contact, but I could not maintain friendships and often fell out with people. As a teenager I had no friendships, and currently only have acqaintances. Making friends has become harder the older I have got. People with AS often do play with other children, but questions should be asked about the quality of this interaction because having AS means that the child would interact atypically. The same with metaphors: I get most metaphors now, but only because I have learnt them, but I did not learn them inferentially, as Longman puts it, like the other kids did. I learnt the meaning of metaphors from my parents, by being told what they mean. I often took things literally as a child, and still do sometimes, but not as much as I did.