Autistic traits 'spread widely' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Many children have mild autistic "symptoms" without ever having enough problems to attract specialist attention, say UK researchers.

The Institute of Child Health team says diagnosed children have severe versions of character traits probably shared by millions of others.

The 8,000 child study found even these mild traits could impair development.

Boys - who make up the bulk of autism diagnoses - were most likely to be affected, the US journal study found.

Scientists have understood for some time that the "autistic spectrum" covers a wide range of children with differing levels of problems, from relatively mild cases to severely disabling problems.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7841808.stm

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. This has been known for some time, I think

I heard a person who works with autistic kids say that they felt empathy because they shared some of the same traits, only in a milder form.

[SheilaT]

2. My oldest has

Asperger's Syndrome. He wasn't diagnosed until halfway through his senior year in high school, and I'm glad that it took so long to figure out. He avoided being labelled, and even though a lot of school was a struggle, it would not have been any easier had we known what was at the root of his difficulties.

This opinion applies only to my son, because I am sure there are those here who thinks an earlier diagnosis is better.

[Sal Minella]

3. I didn't see a listing of Asperger's symptoms until in my fifties, and even at that late stage,

it was a huge relief to find out there was something haywire with my system and I wasn't just perversely trying to drive people crazy, as so often suggested.

Intolerance of high-pitched sounds, attraction to perforated objects (sieves and strainers), attraction to putting things in order and keeping things counted, and worst -- social awkwardness that was a torture until I learned it is part of this syndrome and just learned to work around it. Social "occasions" just leave me drained and exhausted, so I try to avoid groups. One on one conversation can be fun.

Any worse than this, and the isolation would be hard to take -- so kids must have a godawful time with it.

[SheilaT]

4. Even though the Asperger who gave

his name to the syndrome did his research in the 1940s, it wasn't until 1994 or '95 that it showed up in the DSM. Until then, most people with Asperger's were simply seen as odd and different.

It was a huge relief to learn that my son wasn't just different from everyone else, that he had a set of behaviors and responses to his environment in common with a lot of others. Nonetheless, it is a constant presence in his life and makes many things difficult for him, as you well understand.