Autistic all this time?

Question

I have 3 children with autism and one doctor wonderd if I had autism as well. Looking at my medical files he noticed I was diagnosed with ADHD-Anxiety and Depression..He told me these could easily be masking any assesment that I was Autistic.....At 37 this is a bit hard to deal with.Are there standards docs use to look at adults in my situation?..

Answer 1

I have a relative who, at the age of 66, has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. We all just thought he was very eccentric and bad tempered. Now he has the diagnosis it makes it easier for us to deal with and understand him. It is thought that autistic spectrum disorders are genetic and when researching my own family I have found it is quite common. Also you are more likely to be diagnosed as having an ASD as the criteria for diagnosis is so much better these days now we know more about it. Also for people who think these conditions are made up labels for "naughty children", all I can say is you should spend a day with someone who has an ASD. As for the final part of your question there are lots of tests and criteria doctors use which is evolving all the time for diagnosing ASD's in both adults and children. Good luck.

Answer 2

read "Pretending to be Normal", it's by someone in the same situation. Once her child was diagnosed, all the research she did pointed out all the difficulty in her life. Depression is a way of coping. High functioning people can make their way through life, but it brings great disappointment and frustrations, thus the anxiety, depression, etc. Just like me.

The wonderful thing is that you can reassess all the things that made you think you had adhd, and anxiety, and get to the root of your depression. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 3

Diagnostic criteria for such follows the DSM IV.  Many adults with autistic children are re-examining themselves.

My son is autistic and I've finally come to realize that maybe I have some characteristics too.  Like I use to memorize the phone book for fun.  I have terrible social anxiety.  I was in speech therapy until I was in the 4th grade.  I'm obsessed with numbers, math, chemistry....

Answer 4

I would tend to thing Asperger's which is a high finctioning form of autism.  However, ADHD, anxiety and depression would not neccesarily be enough to make me thing "autism", even with three children on the spectrum.  It would take a psychologist (preferably a developmental specialist) doing an in depth reveiw of not only your medical records, but taking an in depth history and full assesment of social and communication skills to make that diagnosis.  No one could diagnosis autism in an adult just by the fact they have depression, ADHD or anixiety...if that were the case, autism would be even more prevelant than it is!  If you want or need to know, speak to your doctor to get a referal to a specialist.  However, it would seem you have had a successful relationship, have a wonderful family and have done well in the adult world.  Knowing one way or the other may make some things more clear, but should not diminish what you have or have done.  And it may not change what will come in the future...it can be a tough choice to make.

Answer 5

It is believed by experts that some forms of autism are genetic, and probably inherited.  Those who have Asperger, for instance, or most types of high functionning autistic (even some PDD NoS)

Both my sons are autistic (PDD NoS).  They both are high functionning.  When my older son was evaluated , so was I... As it turns out, I have Asperger syndrome, a form of high functionning autism.

Since we are speaking of high functionning autism, most adults who are diagnosed fell through the cracks because they were seen as "brainy" kids too wrapped up in their books to care about life around them or relationships.  There is a lot more to it.  You may find the australian scale for Asperger diagnosis on the internet.  Check out if you fit in any of the autistic patterns.  Ask a health professionnal to be tested through the DSM-IV (standard test to detect autism).

Get a second, even a third opinion if you feel you need it.  Otherwise, it may just be an explanation to some of the difficulties you had growing up.  To me it was a relief to finally know what was wrong with me.

Good luck!  And don't despair!

Answer 6

I think it is common,for autistic children to a parent with high functioning autism or aspergers.I have a son that is 13 with autism,and I`m just now realizing I have aspergers myself.I have an older daughter,I think may have aspergers,also a 3 year old grand son,that may have aspergers.I have a 2 year old daughter also.I`m not sure about her yet.Some of the characteristics,include difficulty with relationships,uncomfortable in social situations,shyness,don`t like to be around a lot of people.Needing alone time.I was shocked,at age 42,to discover,I have aspergers.Not really been diagnosed.Self diagnoses.I am sure that there are thousands of people out there with this,that have never been diagnosed.Check out some yahoo groups on aspergers and www.wrongplanet.