Bay Area Disability Network

Archived Autism Advice

(also see Autism Reviews and Recommendations)

Aspergers versus non verbal learning disability

Gluten and Casein free diet for Autism

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Diagnosis keep changing

My kid was diagnosed with a nonverbal learning disability, then with a nonspecific learning disability, then with ADHD, and now with Asperger's Syndrome. I don't get it - why does his diagnosis keep changing? He's extremely bright and verbal, but definitely has something going on.

My son had a similar list of issues, and we bounced from therapist to therapist, trying to figure it out. We were told he had "high functioning Asperger's" - I couldn't even get the therapist to tell me what that meant. What I've found is that it's best to stop thinking about diagnosis, and focus on his behavior. What are the issues that he's having, and how do we deal with them?

I'm interested in pursuing cognitive behavior therapy for my teenage son who experiences high functioning autism. Does anyone have any recommendations and/or experience with this?

A colleague of mine had this response: Well I did not know much about cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) before your question but I did some research. From what I read, CBT really digs deep into working with the connection between the physical reaction of the body and feeling different emotions. Some things I read also discussed analyzing dreams and childhood. Although this is all well and good, this type of therapy can be difficult for those of us considered typical. I would be concerned that a teenager with autism may have difficulty with some of the cognitive aspects of this type of therapy. I would recommend looking into how this person can best identify what areas are deficient (i.e. social skills, social thinking, functional communication and resiliency training) and how those areas can be taught before spending time and money on therapy that may not teach skills that meet this persons specific needs. Hope this helps. Tanya Yamiolkowski, M.A., BCBA Behavioral and Educational 510-326-2029
For both the question on behavioral therapy and the one on preschools for kids with autism please see the sf bay area page on www.helpingdelayedkids.com

Gluten and Casein free diet for Autism

I am the mother of an 11 year old boy with Autism. His preferred diet leans really heavily towards carbs and dairy. I have been hearing about this type of diet for autism spectrum disorders and it’s supposed to have a “dramatic effect”. After trying lots of other things that promise to have “dramatic effects” I’m not expecting miracles but I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this type of diet?
My son, although not diagnosed as autistic, has some behaviors which overlap with that diagnosis, so I tried the diet for about three months with him, before I decided that it made no difference for him. I'm glad I did it, so I'm not wondering 'what if' about it all the time. It was definitely extra work, and I think the older the child, the more difficult it could be, and the foods tend to be more expensive. I think the recommendation is that you try it for six months before making a judgement about effectiveness. You can get lots of information about it online, including joining an email group. There are several books about it, too. I don't recall the names, but I'm sure you can find out about them online, too. Good luck to you and your family
We have lots of experience with the GFCF diet and many related tips and bay area resources too....much is posted here www.helpingdelayedkids.com GFCF diet along with DAN! biomed approach, great inclusive school and excellent therapists, and most of all God's blessing...are all teaming together to help my son stay on his current fast rate of progress and improvement.
EXCELLENT set of articles about gluten-free diets in a recent issue of SF Chronicle, available at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/11/FDGC2CKG861.DTL

Aspergers versus non verbal learning disability

Can someone give me a good definition of the difference between Asperger's and "non verbal learning disability"? My son has gotten both diagnoses from different professionals, and as far as I can tell, there isn't much of a difference. Yet the professional wrangling over it goes on and on. Sally

I don't know the technical answer, but I have been told my 7-year old son definitely does NOT have Aspergers but does have a nonverbal learning disability. We know another boy, same age, who has been diagnosed with Aspergers. They both have social skills deficits. I think they have in common difficulty/inability to decipher nonverbal cues. But I'm under the impression the other boy (with Aspergers) does not have the language processing deficits my son has -- like difficulty retrieving descriptive and attributive words for things. Also, I'm not sure the boy with Aspergers has the difficulties with abstract, relational concepts that my son has. The literature seems all over the place so is not very helpful. Some think both are on the autism spectrum. Some say Aspergers is and NLD isn't. Some seem to see NLD as its own spectrum. I think I once read that one difference between Aspergers and NLD is that many (but not all) people with Aspergers can get focused on one topic -- like say maps -- and learn everything there is to know about it and talk about it day and night, whereas people with NLD often have the opposite problem of a sort of incapacity or unwillingness to delve deeply enough into anything to develop some expertise. Finally -- maybe you should ask the doctors what they think is the difference and why the distinction is important. Maybe that will help you figure out what (among their recommendations) you think your child needs. Hope this is helpful.

You are not the only one that is unclear about Asperger's Syndrome(AS) vs Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) -- the medical profession apparently has not agreed on this either. And the education system doesn't even include NLD in the 12 categories of disorders that are eligible for services under IDEA. There is a large overlap in the characteristics generally exhibited by people with AS and NLD - this is one reason for confusion in the diagnosis. Apparently it is very common for people with these disorders to receive varying diagnoses from different professionals. A great resource is the book 'Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome', by Kathryn Stewart, PhD - it explains the similarities and the differences quite clearly. There are also numerous books available from the library on both of these topics. Good luck in your quest to find the right support for your child. Diane Dew, ddew@cforat.org

As the parent of a child with Asperger's Syndrome (AS), I can only offer a few layperson comments on the differences between AS and Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD). First, NLD is not included in the DSM-IV, which might be a factor in diagnosis (e.g., if certain insurance companies don't accept a non-DSM diagnosis). Second, NLD and AS are often regarded as different stops along the autism spectrum, with NLD being a less severe neurocognitive disorder, but with a need for similar interventions. Some areas of difference are that people with AS, unlike those with NLD, usually have a special, sometimes obsessive, interest, and greater social skills deficits. For more information, you might have a look at the book, 'Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome' by Kathryn Stewart, the director of Orion Academy in Moraga, a high school for AS and NLD students. I hope this helps.