Intro
A bit on the early side, but Autism Awareness Month is close and I thought to myself I really should do a post about it. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s/Higher Functioning Autism after I started up my Dyspraxia blog and the Dyspraxia label was a part of my childhood. For that reason, I associate more with the Dyspraxia than the Autism.
When it comes to Autism it suffers from the opposite problems that Dyspraxia has in terms of understanding and awareness. There is a massive stigma on Autism so much so that the term Autism is used as an insult. If anyone is being a bit ‘sensitive’ or says something that another person finds a bit weird then the casual sarcastic response is ‘what are you, Autistic?’ It’s this attitude that damages the image of Autism. Me as a blogger, especially a Dyspraxic blogger, isn’t exactly going to stop this kind of vile attitude problem by a post. I have worked on a page for Autism for a while now but eventually, it’ll be ready and it’ll add a bit of positivity to Autism. Even so, it isn’t going to halt the negativity in its tracks but just the extra positivity will be nice.
Asperger’s Diagnoses
For this post, I’ll give a little insight into my Autism, something that I haven’t gone into much detail on my blog – perhaps you’ll be able to relate in some way?
I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia when I was 9, which set me on that journey. Growing up I gained an understanding of Autism and noticed that I had similar type traits to it. While I didn’t do any investigating during my school years it was still a thought that I had. After leaving school there were a few friends who mentioned that they thought I had Asperger’s, however, a few didn’t understand Dyspraxia so didn’t understand that there was a crossover. One denied I had Dyspraxia and that I was really Aspergic like him – very ignorant of him. I decided to take an online test which came back as 34 (32+ being a likelihood of Asperger’s). That’s when I went into depths and did my analysis using the ‘Triad of Impairment.’
The Triad of Impairment
After having a read through I had convinced myself that I had ticked off enough to warrant following up on it. I typed up a document outlining the attributes I ticked off and had it prepped ready for a visit to the GP. After seeing my GP she had no problems referring me to a specialist and I got seen within a few months, which was very lucky considering. After going through my detailed document with the specialist as well as comments from a parent of mine, he had no issue diagnosing the Asperger’s. I still have that document which I could upload if I know it’ll be of any benefit. If you would like to see that document uploaded please let me know.
Having the Asperger’s label helped clear a little more of the mist around me and I know I can use it to help people have a better understanding of the struggles I face.
If you’re after an Autism/Asperger’s diagnoses then a good starting place is an online test. Ask yourself this question though “Do I need a diagnosis and will it help me?” A diagnosis will help in getting the potential support that’s for sure. If you feel you need it and it’ll help then go for it!
Thanks for reading and see you next post.
Thanks Robert, that’s very kind of you, and very helpful. Best wishes x
Hi, interesting blog. My son has a diagnosis of dyspraxia and is awaiting assessment for ASC. The woman who initially assessed him (to decide whether to refer him for a full assessment) was adamant that many of the qualities I see in him that I equate with Asperger’s are in fact also found in dyspraxics. Many of them don’t fit, though, and I ended up doing what you did and going back to the triad and highlighting those elements that applied to my son (I used the helpful list on the bedfordshire autism site . She said much of his difficulties were down to being unable to regulate his emotions, in the same way as he struggled to regulate his movements – that didn’t sound quite right to me? I’d like to see your document, if you’re happy to post it? I’m assuming the specialist was able to differentiate between your dyspraxia and Asperger’s?
Hi Jessica,
The specialist was able to differentiate between and the Dyspraxia and Asperger’s, as he was happy enough to diagnose me with the Asperger’s but not as a replacement diagnosis to the Dyspraxia one. While regulating emotions is typically associated with the Autism Spectrum more than Dyspraxia it shouldn’t take away the fact that both Dyspraxia and Asperger’s could be playing a part. It is known that people with Dyspraxia have a very high chance of having something else too, such as Dyslexia, Autism, ADHD, etc. I have now uploaded a downloadable link on my downloads page, but if you click this link: http://www.dyspraxicfantastic.com/wp-content/uploads/Aspergers.docx it’ll download the document. I hope it’ll be very useful to you and your son. Good luck.
Robert