Expert: Michelle Fattig - 5/19/2008

Question
I had my daughter taken in to a center that specializes in Autism and had her tested.  The results came back that she did not fall under the Autism spectrum (this included aspergers).  She's 12 years old, has poor social skills, delayed maturity (she still sucks her thumb and has a great attachment to certain objects) and cannot do some basic grooming skills on her own, like tie her shoes or wipe her face after eating.  When she was 6 she was diagnosed with ADHD, but even then I doubted that diagnosis, as she can pay attention and sit still and does very well in school.  
So, if it's not autism, what else could it be?
Thank you for your help

Answer
I am not surprised at all.  I have found that most "specialists" think they know more about diagnostics than they really do.  I would recommend that you request a multidisciplinary evaluation through your local school district, which is free.  Ask if they will specifically test her pragmatic language (not just oral expression and receptive), but rather the social usage/give and take of language.  Also, ask for a WISC-IV and a UNIT (Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test) be given, along with achievement testing.  Print out and complete the questionnaire at:  http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist...

type "Susan Mayes Autism Checklist" into any search engine, print out the questionnaire and complete

Provide this information to the school psychologist conducting the comprehensive evaluation.  When the tests are completed, if your daughter has Asperger's, the WISC IV will show a distinctive pattern of a higher Verbal Comprehension Index and lower Perceptual Reasoning Index; her Processing Speed will be relatively normal and her symbol search subtest will be low.  On the UNIT, if she has Asperger's, her Memory Quotient will be signficantly higher than her Reasoning Quotient.  Her written expression will also be a significant weakness.

If she has a lower Memory Quotient and higher reasoning Quotient on the UNIT, but the WISC-IV fits the profile, you should have her screened in the area of anti-saccadic inhibition as some children with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia will present with aspie symptoms, but the MQ is lower than the RQ on the UNIT.  ONH has similar characteristics to aspies and occurs in utero at the same time autism occurs.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.  There are other ways to test the neurocognitive subpatterns and not rely on subjective and/or uninformed opinions.  You can always email me directly on on website at www.anniebooks.com for specific questions or if you would like more checklists and questionnaire recommendations.  I wish you the best of luck.  Please let me know if there is anything else that I can provide.