Opinions

Thanks i took a look.

Hi Tammera,

Really interesting points - just to let you know there's also a previous discussion about this in the diagnosis area so you might want to take a look at that as well to see some other views on the same issue.

You can see it here -

http://community.autism.org.uk/discussions/health-wellbeing/diagnosis-assessment/dsm-v

Judith Gould also gave a presentation about her and Lorna Wing's response to the proposals - I'm hoping to get that up on Youtube soon and will let you know when it's available. May be interesting to see their perspective as well.

Hi ill introduce myself now.

I have a 12 daughter that was diagnosed autistic with particular aspects of demand avoidance, due to the local authority not recognising PDA. She was diagnosed at 5 years old.

I have dyslexia, and people with experiance of autism think i am undiagnosed autistic.

I havent got alot of time but ill go into some of my concerns reguarding this paper.

My opinion:

Autistic Specrum Disorder has spectrum in the name because there is a wide range of issues and difficulties not just low and high functioning. Those that have done alot of research and met many children with autism, knows that there are varying needs that require different managing techniques and inturn require different support packages.

Aspergers, PDA, ADHD (if you want to incude that) and Classic Autism etc rightly said in the paper have the same obvious symptoms, but they also have their own difference in symptoms, thus why, especially in my case, getting the right diagnoses is very important, if they are all blanketed under one umbrella on a severity scale, parents and children are offered support and taught techniques correctly for the type of autism.

The proposed list of requirements to be classified as Autistic is way too brief, my daughter would not fit the criteria for autism using that list of criteria, does that mean suddenly she hasnt got autism? with a bit of movement she may fit into what they are suggesting is a low level of autism and requires very little support. Try and tell that to all the professionals that couldnt handle or manage my daughter for many years, and was at home alot because she couldnt stay in school unless she had 1:1 at all times, the education department and school that had to spend thousands of pounds adapting her school to keep her and the other children safe, yet the little boy with classic autism in her class (would be high level- lots of support) other than the occasional wondering off (not running at lightening speeds out of windows and doors and over 6 foot fences like they wasnt even there, like my daughter) was absolutly fine. My daughter up untill around 10 years old couldnt leave the house without reins, they wouldnt allow her in school without them, i had to sleep with house and window keys under my pillow. non of this was needed for the child with classic autism. im not suggesting that classic autism is in any way easy, but im sorry, theres more to autism than the amount of symptoms displayed.

I will add to this another time.