The Everyman's Guide To DSM-IV: Aspergers

It's spectrummy,
with language

Now that we can all recite the criteria for Autism in our sleep, let's take a look at how they compare to the current DSM definition of Aspergers.

The diagnostic criteria for Aspergers are almost identical to those for Autism, with these key differences:

The Everyman's Guide To DSM-IV: Autism

Oooh, spectrummy

Okay so now we're getting to the crunchy centre. In this post I'll take you through each of the DSM-IV criteria for autism - that's the current version, without the proposed changes - translating them into everyday language with a bunch of examples.

Settle in kids, it's gonna take a while...

Some DSM Definitions

Before we look in detail at the criteria for diagnosing autism, I thought it might be a good idea to run through some of the words and phrases that pop up a lot in the DSM.

What Are DSM and ICD?

We've looked at what diagnostic criteria are and why we need them, so now we can move on to pulling apart the criteria for autism and talking about what they mean. But before we do that, let's take a quick look at the major players in diagnosis when it comes to autism.

There are two standard sets of criteria used to classify all behavioural and psychological disorders - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Diagnostic Criteria... What Are They?

Before we talk about the proposed changes to the DSM criteria for autism, let's go right back to the beginning and talk about what diagnostic criteria are and why we need them.

Tick The Box Marked 'A'

I sat across the table from the homeschool moderator as he waited for my answer.  He'd just asked what I'm sure to him was a perfectly reasonable question in response to hearing that my kids are autistic.

"What kind of autistic are they?"


Um, purple? Caramel coated? Automatic? Lemon-scented? Extra large? Expert?

I stumbled to reply because I didn't have an answer for what he really meant.... "is it the good kind or the bad kind?"

My Top 15 Tips For Making Travel Fun For Autistic Kids

I don't know about you, but all this talk about holidays is making me want to hit the road {runs off to check bank balance...}

Hmm, looks like you're stuck with me for awhile. To finish off the week, here are my top travel tips. Enjoy their vacationy goodness!

Making Travel Fun For Siblings

With autistic kids requiring so much of your day-to-day time and attention, sometimes their siblings can wind up with the short end of the stick.

So while it’s important to take autism into account when making your travel plans, don’t forget the rest of the family. It’s their holiday too, and they spend every day in the shadows back home - letting them be the focus for a change can be a nice way to say thanks.

Here's a few tips to help make siblings feel special...

Fitting Therapy Into Your Trip Plans

Taking a trip doesn't mean you have to put your early intervention therapy on hold or suspend that sensory diet.

Holidays and new locations provide loads of opportunities for extending the skills your kids have learned or work on new ones.
It just requires a little thinking outside the box...

Choosing a Sensory-Friendly Hotel

When holidaying with kids who have sensory issues, a little pre-trip planning will go a long way towards helping you to cater for their needs while you're on the road.

Choosing a hotel is one of the biggest decisions you'll need to make, so here's some things to think about.

How To Spot A Kid-Friendly Hotel

One of the easiest ways to reduce stress when holidaying with kids is to choose a kid-friendly hotel. They have convenient room layouts and amenities that you actually need, and you'll spend less time worrying about the noise and mess your kids make.

But how do you spot a hotel that welcomes kids?

How To Guarantee Your Holiday Will Be a Success

Dude, set blasters to 'sun'

Take a break from booking hotels, buying new luggage and reading Trip Advisor to ask yourself this question:

What are you really hoping to get out of this?

7 Reasons You Should Stay At Home

The antidote to travel with kids

Are you sitting at home trying to decide whether to take a trip with your autistic kids? Does the thought of heading out of your comfort zone make your knees tremble? Is the idea of travel just too scary to contemplate?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Pack Your Bags, It's Travel Week!

Hey gang!  With the northern hemisphere heading into summer break, it's a good time to do a few posts on travel.

Nowadays I really love going on holidays with my kids, but it wasn't always this easy. Man, did those early trips suck! I made every mistake in the book... but after ten years of plane rides and thousands of miles of roadtrips, I've amassed a bulging suitcase of tips and tricks to make travelling with autistic kids a little easier and a lot more fun for everybody.

17 Cool Gift Ideas For Aides And Therapists

Giving your kids' classroom aide, therapists and other support people a gift is a wonderful way to thank them for all the hard work they’ve put in. They have a super hard job and the pay is crap (really, it’s shameful), so a little appreciation goes a long way - and unlike the teacher, they usually don’t receive a lot of gifts.

So whether it’s Christmas, the end of the school year or their birthday (heck, why not just randomly surprise them one day?) here's a bunch of cool ways to say thanks.

If You Want Support, Be A Friend

Lately I've been seeing autism parenting sites offering tips to parents of neurotypical kids, that sound something like this:

Don’t complain to me about your kids, 
as I would kill to have those problems.

Don’t tell me about all the stuff your kid can do, 
as my kid may never do that stuff.

Don’t tell me you’ve had a bad day, 
you don’t even know what a bad day is.

I can totally understand these kinds of raw spots, but is this really how we want other parents to help us?

Wrestling With Post-Diagnosis Guilt

When my oldest son Max was three he spent most of every day with his head on the carpet, adding to the line of toy cars that snaked around the living room and down the hall. When he ran out of cars he’d go back to the start and turn each one 45 degrees, over and over on down the line until they were all facing the same direction.

As I watched him do this my thoughts were always the same...

Top Ten Tips For Taking Better Therapy Photos

Photos are a fantastic tool for helping autistic kids learn and communicate - as conversation prompts and in schedules, social stories and picture exchange systems - so they should be an important part of whatever type of early intervention therapy you’ve chosen.

But not just any picture will do...

Why Do Some People Talk With A Monotone?

One thing that autistic kids can have trouble with is something you probably do every day without thinking - varying your voice as you speak to help get your message across. You change the pitch, volume, speed and rhythm of your speech - making your voice go up when asking a question, using inflections for sarcasm or stressing words to add emphasis - to ensure that your intended meaning is clear to the person that you're talking to.

These areas of speech are called prosody, and autistic kids can struggle with it - talking too loudly, using a monotone voice or asking questions in a flat tone - and as a result are often mistaken for being disinterested, unfeeling or lacking a sense of humour.

So why is it hard for them, and how can you help to prevent these misunderstandings?

What's The Haps, Chaps

Wow, is it May already?  Here's a round-up of what's been happening lately...

Quick Tip: Coming Home

Think about the last time you left the house... what did you say?

We're going to the supermarket.

I'm going to work.

You're going to school.

Do you know what's missing? ... and we'll be coming home again.

Autistic kids often interpret language literally and miss the implied or assumed bits - if you don’t say it then it isn’t happening. So it's completely understandable that they might feel anxious about leaving the house (or letting you do it) for the simple reason that they don't know if they'll ever be coming back. Simply adding 'and then we come home' every time you talk about going somewhere can really help to reduce that anxiety, and help autistic kids cope better with the transitions that come with leaving the house.