Medical comorbidities are also commonly seen in autism spectrum disorder including PANS/PANDAS, ADD/ADHD, seizures, dental issues, sleep disturbances and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Neurodevelopmental disorders include a group of pervasive developmental disorders that include ASD, asperger's syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), and Rett disorder.
Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism." In other words, it's the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms.
The main difference between autism and GDD is that autism is a specific developmental disorder with well-defined symptoms. At the same time, GDD is a more general term to describe a range of developmental delays.
For example, speech delays are when a child is learning to form speech sounds and develop language skills at a slower rate than average. When your child has this type of developmental delay, it doesn't mean they are autistic. They might just be what's known as a “late talker.”
To put it simply, a developmental delay is when your child does not reach their developmental milestones at the expected times, whilst Autism refers to a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders, present from early childhood which is characterised by the difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with ...
It is possible to be mildly autistic. However, people who are diagnosed with autism generally have traits that interfere with their ability to lead a normal life.
Being a “mildly autistic” person may mean that the majority of your symptoms revolve around social interactions. Common symptoms such as: communication difficulties. confusion around facial expressions.
Autism genetics expert Ivan Iossifov breaks down recent research that sheds light on how unaffected parents can pass autism onto their child. Parents with no history of autism in their families have a child who is diagnosed with the disorder. It's a common and upsetting story.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
Kanner's Syndrome
This type of autism is also known as Classic Autistic Disorder, and its symptoms can include challenges communicating or understanding others, engaging in virtually no eye contact, and a hypersensitivity to stimuli (smell, light, noise, taste, or touch).
Hyperlexia is a condition where preschool children display an intense early interest in letters in a way that is very advanced for their age. They can decode words accurately, but without understanding their meaning.
Many biological conditions can lead to social difficulties, including autism. However, not all autistic individuals will display social awkwardness (though they may struggle inwardly). Moreover, not everyone who is socially awkward is autistic. And, in fact, they don't necessarily have a diagnosable condition.
Masking may involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations.
Instead, it is an informal term referring to less severe ASD symptoms. Someone might describe themselves as having borderline autism when: they suspect they have traits of ASD but do not have a diagnosis. they have some symptoms of ASD but do not meet the criteria for ASD.
Mildly autistic people require the least amount of support and are often able to hide their symptoms. However, they may struggle with social interactions, reading social cues, understanding body language, and deciphering facial expressions.
ASD often presents early but can be difficult to diagnose in some cases. There are other brain disorders that mimic autism symptoms, like ADHD and anxiety disorders, including selective mutism. Autism can be misdiagnosed as another disorder with some shared symptoms.
While there is no universal definition of "high-functioning autism," it remains an important distinction: ASD can otherwise be missed if a person doesn't have overt signs and symptoms, such as difficulty with communication, inappropriate social interactions, and repetitive or obsessive behaviors.
Autism is very distinct from ADHD, but the core symptoms of ADHD-Combined type, i.e., attention deficit, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, would appear to also be features of autism. ASD and ADHD are neurobiological disorders characterized by similar underlying neuropsychological “deficits”.
Fundamentally, autism is a disorder that affects socialization and communication, while dyspraxia affects motor skills and physical coordination.
So, are Down syndrome and autism the same thing or the same disorder? No. They are distinct disorders with different causes that may show some similar symptoms, but also differences.
If someone in your family has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may be more likely to have a child with ASD. ASD can look very different from person to person, so taking a careful family health history can be important for early diagnosis.