Once on spectrum, always on? | Autism PDD

Well, we went to a neurologist who was hesitant to put a label of autism on my DS right now.  HE said he had diagnosed kids that he would of sworn on his life were autstistic and then a year later he was like what was i thinking????!!!!!

By definition autism is lifelong - but alot of times it may be overly diagnosed or even incorrectly diagnosed

heh, indeed, since high school im fairly certain if anyone other then a trained professional was to spend 5 mins with me they would think I was NT, perhapse just slightly odd but reasonably intelligent. No way would they think I was on the spectum. A professional would see my strange eye contact and way i communicate and probably would consider it.

Indeed, one on always on, when ya get older many of us improve, even to the point where we may be indistinguishible from others. As normal as I appear, I still have very mild qwarks that can effect my social life and everyday i have to be careful (only slightly) and i think with alot of social practice (ive never had any treatments other then specal ed) and support from the parents during the first years your kid can be normal in the teen and adult years. It sure looked rough for me when I was growing up, but I got better, and actually do quite well, probably better then my NT peers in many ways.

My parents are ill informed, and still beleive that I had 'juvinial autism' and that it mysteriously vanishes when I entered middle school. They beleieve I am completly cured and wont talk about the past with me to this day, heh.I'm not sure where I read this, but is it common thinking among
diagnosticians that once you're on the spectrum, you're always on the
spectrum? I'm trying to figure out what the deal is with my son. It's been an
interesting road with him.Our dev ped put our ds on, but he was really hesitant. However, he knew
that more services would certainly not hurt him. This was when ds was
about 3 1/2. At his 6 mo follow-up, the doctor was totally amazed at his
progress. At his 1 yr follow-up, he suspected more of an anxiety issue with
learning delays. He finally settled on that at his 18 mo follow-up on
Thursday. In addressing the anxiety, our ds became a totally different kid.
Truly amazing, but quite perplexing.

Thanks for your answers juniper22 and woodsman25.

Well put, Kristys. 

When various therapies and accommodations bring a person with autism to the point of seeming NT, I think of it as autism "in remission."  Like with cancer, you have to keep monitoring, and keep giving maintenance doses of therapy and accommodations as needed, so the autism doesn't flare up again, for example during prolonged stress or a crisis.

Just my opinion.

Just my opinion...

Medically speaking, I would say that once you're on the spectrum, you're always on.  However, kids more mildly affected can develop coping mechanisms that can allow them to function as NT to all but the most trained eye.  I don't think autism is something you "grow out of" just something you "get better at living with."

School speaking, if symptoms of autism no longer interfere with a child's ability to perform in school, and the child is performing at grade level, then I think they can lose their disability category (label) of autism.

My opinion is that if a kid is a HF and receiving proper therapies ( does not have to be any specific, could be a lot of work from parents and school ), and if you can provide your child with lots of positive stimulation, learning...then improvments can be very promissing, they can be ndistinguishible from others, but totaly cured NOT. It is a lifelong disability and it does stays on if dx is correct at first place...

I beleive you always have it. My female cousin who also has Asperger like my daughter J still has some sensory issues. We had a family reunion and my cousin did not show up. She may hate crowds?  I didn't show up either but I'm clear across the country.
  Yes you can have a normal life (pretty normal) and go to college with out an aid. Ya date, drive a car etc.
amberwaves39335.3502199074

Since autism is diagnosed by symptoms, not by a root cause, the topic of a cure can be very confusing. Some think symptoms can be the result of allergies, some from environmental exposures, etc. If triggers for the autistic like behaviors are removed, the child can be “cured”. However, if the root of the symptoms is medical/neurological, the child can learn coping skills, but will not ever be “cured”. So the issue of a cure can not be separated from an understanding of the cause. Only the change in severity of symptoms can be assessed.

My experience is that some kids can really improve and learn, but that they aren't cured. 
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