do people move up and down the spectrum?

Is your point along the spectrum a set thing, do you think? Or do people slide along it, at different moments manifesting as more Aspie or as more HFA (I'm guessing the main difference between those is how much you desire interaction with others?) Are people either or? Or are those artificial categories?

one's point on the spectrum is never really fixed, though it may appear stable. many factors can affect this. one notable factor is that it's quite possible to regress with old age. perhaps this is true with NT people, however, it may be more noticeable with people on the spectrum.

as for AS versus HFA, there's no formal definition. indeed, some assume the terms are interchangeable. my interpretation is that those with AS crave social interaction, whilst those with HFA don't. this is predicated on the fact that kramer's, or classic, autism is lower down the spectrum than both, and could be termed LFA. also, asperger's work focused on socially awkward, rather than asocial, children.

shock_the_monkey wrote:as for AS versus HFA, there's no formal definition. indeed, some assume the terms are interchangeable. my interpretation is that those with AS crave social interaction, whilst those with HFA don't. this is predicated on the fact that kramer's, or classic, autism is lower down the spectrum than both, and could be termed LFA. also, asperger's work focused on socially awkward, rather than asocial, children.

Thank you, shock_the_monkey.

PDD-NOS is considered somewhere in the middle? What is it called if you were an asocial child with normal language development? Is it possible to be asocial but still lonely and unhappy? If you have significant mind blindness and a strong preference for solitude but none of the other characteristic traits of autism? If you sometimes crave social interaction but sometimes don't? If you sometimes miss social cues and other times catch them but just don't see the point in conforming? And then are mystified when other people get upset? And then other times perform normally? What is that called? Is ADD/ADHD related to or independent of autism spectrum?

ADD/ADHD are definitely separate though frequently co-morbid conditions that can occur with or without ASD, as well as being separate conditions from each other. ADD is essentially an attention disorder: perhaps one has difficulties staying focused on a topic/subject or finds they must jump around from one to another often. There can be some behavioral issues with this as well since a side of that inattention can spawn with an inability to properly follow or remember directions. ADHD is a step up from that: you feel a constant need to move, like you have energy to burn and are never really relaxed. ADHD kids often have difficulties with sleeping and can often be bedwetters as a result of these issues, though not always. Similar, but not quite related is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) which is somewhat like ADD but is recognized by persistent defiant behavior. All three can lead to argumentativeness so it can be hard to tell them a part.

However, these can co-exist with ASD, in which case you could see some crossovers. For example, instead of inattentive to everything, you may only be inattentive to things that don't interest you. This defined me growing up, I had ADHD with probably AS. I had special interests and nothing else really held my attention or interest very long.

As for the rest of your post, yes you can be asocial and still lonely and unhappy. There's many factors that can contribute to this, such as depression, being "different" or a "nerd" compared to others, or god forbid, abuse reasons just to name a few common sources. PDD/NOS essentially means that one has characteristics of an ASD but perhaps is a little off a proper diagnosis to be properly placed. It can be a worse or better diagnosis depending on the person. There is no real ranking for PDD/NOS afaik, it just depends on whether one is on the upper or lower end of symptoms. It's possible to have a mix of multiple ASD symptoms such that one's proper place cannot be placed. This is similar to Fibromyalgia. Fibromylagia really isn't a diagnosis, it basically just means, "yes there is an issue but we [doctors] are not quite what it is or where to place you".

pamelaperejil wrote:PDD-NOS is considered somewhere in the middle? What is it called if you were an asocial child with normal language development? Is it possible to be asocial but still lonely and unhappy? If you have significant mind blindness and a strong preference for solitude but none of the other characteristic traits of autism? If you sometimes crave social interaction but sometimes don't? If you sometimes miss social cues and other times catch them but just don't see the point in conforming? And sometimes perform normally? What is that called?

... i always think of PDD-NOS as between NT and AS, however, it's really intended to cover all atypical cases of ASD. as for being asocial, an AS would be lonely, whilst an HFA wouldn't.

i think it's important to realise that labels are approximations. they lack the precision to convey anything other than an overall impression. and you'd like find that medical professionals would use them according to their own experience, rather than being entirely objective.

if i were you, i'd have a look at the books by tony attwood on AS. these will give you a very good feel for the subject. 'the complete guide' is quite encyclopaedic. 'a guide for parents and professionals' is far more concise.