Autistic Traits v Autism diagnosis

Hi I am hoping for some advice please.  Briefly, my 14 year old son has been through CAMHS and has been told he does not meet diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of Hyperkinetic Disorder or ASD.  But the SENCO at his school has said he has Autistic traits.  Would anyone be able to explain what the difference is please ?  Thanks.

  • The relevant thing for school is that they need to make provisions regardless of diagnosis. Based o needs observed at school.

  • That is a really good way to explain it, I got told I had autistic traits caused by an acquired brain injury, the consultant went into loads of details about changed signal patterns causing sensory problems and different pathways. If he had used this analogy I probably would have understood him!!!

  • this isn't where I read it, but it basically says the same http://parentingaspergers.com/blog/tony-attwood-on-aspergers-syndrome/

    The 100 Piece Autism Spectrum Jigsaw Puzzle

    Tony talked about the diagnosis process as being a jigsaw puzzle, here’s what he said about making a diagnosis:

    “It’s almost like having a mental check-list that you’re identifying. Now, all the characteristics of Asperger’s exist in the ordinary population. A typical person who is not perfect at reading body language, doesn’t have hundreds of friends, who may not like the noise when you note down on the blackboard, etcetera. So, what makes the condition significant is not a unique characteristic but the strength and dominance and effect of certain characteristics. So we’re doing a check-list of them. Now I say that it’s like completing a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle and there are certain essential social relatedness bits and pieces. But 80 or more pieces of the 100-piece jigsaw puzzle makes the diagnosis.

    I’ve never met anyone with all 100, but I’ve never met a typical person with less than 10. So basically, I’m counting them up through the assessment, but the issue then incurs if it’s 80 or more to be diagnosed, what do you do with someone who got say, 70 to 80 pieces? So more than the ordinary population, but not quite enough to confirm the diagnosis. They’re in a grey area, what we call sub-clinical, but may still benefit from some of the strategies for the fragments that they have. So that sort of person I would say they have fragments of Asperger’s syndrome and need help for the fragments they have.”

  • Thanks for this info, that makes sense Slight smile

  • I read a great analogy recently (can't remember where though!). It compared ASD to a jigsaw puzzle with 100 pieces. 

    It said that everyone has a few pieces; if you've got about 50 you can be described as having "autistic traits" and if you've got 80+ you get diagnosed autistic.