A person changing from verbal HFA to non-verbal LFA?

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frields
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14 Feb 2008, 3:20 pm

Are there cases - is it possible - it is common? For someone to have high functioning autism in their childhood [fully verbal, good social skills, eye contact, etc) and then in their teen years develop low functioning autism [being mute/non-verbal, extreme stimming, loss of social abilities, loss of eye contact ability, great loss of emotional expression, great increase of sensory symptoms]. And then, be like this permanently from then onward. Or is this kind of thing not autism? Maybe it's another kind of medical thing that appears like autism? My understanding -- low functioning autism is pretty stable from 2-3 years old onward.



Last edited by frields on 14 Feb 2008, 10:14 pm, edited 6 times in total.

krex
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14 Feb 2008, 3:30 pm

I dont know if what you are describing is possible but I think a similiar thing that I have experienced myself,is possible.That is a fluctuation in "traits" based on the environmental changes(over stimulating or stressful).In this case,the function level may change for a few hours or several months due to an in ability to cope with the environment.

I think that NT's can experience something similiar....."temporary" psychosis called "psychotic-break" due to stress and this can even result in a coma like state(paralysis).I liken it to a computer crash....when you ask a system to do more then it is capable of.Perhaps this is more likely to happen to AS,who are vulnerable to more stressors?I know that my ability to function changes from day to day.I only have so many "resources" to cope and if to many things are thrown at me at the same time...I shut down more and more.


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lelia
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14 Feb 2008, 4:16 pm

It is not common. It is possible, but it requires a lot of trauma or bad physical stimuli for it to happen. Look up Landau-Klefner.



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14 Feb 2008, 5:05 pm

Also checkout "Catatonia and Autistic Spectrum Disorders"


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Fuzzy
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14 Feb 2008, 8:56 pm

more likely it would be attributed or diagnosed as something else.



Danielismyname
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14 Feb 2008, 9:20 pm

No matter the "functioning" level, social skills and autism never go together. If you mean showing affection and/or interacting with family members, yeah, one can lose that for a number of reasons; one can also have many periods of mutism even when their speech is adequate.

This is all in the realm of Asperger's/"high-functioning" autism.

O, and with autistic disorder ("LFA"/"HFA"), even those with adequate speech, usually improve throughout the primary/elementary years (in many ways other than speech), and oftentimes, they can then "regress" to how they were before the improvement in the high school/young adult years. They don't know why this is, but I'm betting increased social, academic and vocational expectations.



frields
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14 Feb 2008, 9:45 pm

I see your point. In the first place, a person who's extremely verbally competent ain't got autism, period.

What of an Aspergers person who's extremely verbally competent, then totally looses verbal/speech ability at say 30 years old, and also develops marked stimming, much much worse sensory symptoms, much much worse social difficulties, and becomes far less able to take care of daily tasks like self-care, eating, cleaning, and the like? Is this something that happens to Aspergers people? Or, like a post some gave above, would this be something else?

Fuzzy wrote:
more likely it would be attributed or diagnosed as something else.



Danielismyname
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15 Feb 2008, 12:26 am

Well, Asperger's can be severe, just as severe as autism, but without the verbal difficulties; if one has stressful life events, it can make someone more "autistic" than what they innately are.

Does this 30 years old individual have an increase in expectations of him, stressful life events, and/or anything else that can bring on emotional upset?

It could be a recent onset comorbid mental illness like clinical depression or an anxiety disorder, these can make "autistic" symptoms worst.



shivanataraja
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17 Feb 2008, 4:16 pm

This link might be useful to you: "Help! I Seem to be Getting More Autistic!" http://www.autistics.org/library/more-autistic.html



TLPG
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18 Feb 2008, 6:15 am

Puberty is the key to this. The hormonal change can have a devastating effect on someone of the Spectrum. So in theory a regression is indeed possible. It's not common nowadays because it's being diagnosed early enough for preparations to be made for the inevitable change. It was more common a few generations back and that's partly why Aspergers in particular remained hidden for so long. It's all about the diagnostics.

In other words - when Autism isn't properly looked after, it can happen. And it has as well.



DaveSeidel
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18 Feb 2008, 10:39 am

frields wrote:
Are there cases - is it possible - it is common? For someone to have high functioning autism in their childhood [fully verbal, good social skills, eye contact, etc) and then in their teen years develop low functioning autism [being mute/non-verbal, extreme stimming, loss of social abilities, loss of eye contact ability, great loss of emotional expression, great increase of sensory symptoms]. And then, be like this permanently from then onward. Or is this kind of thing not autism? Maybe it's another kind of medical thing that appears like autism? My understanding -- low functioning autism is pretty stable from 2-3 years old onward.


I'm curious why you ask. Do you have someone particular in mind? It seems a little too specific for pure curiosity.