High Functioning Autism And My Speech Delayed Son

Autism is a neurological disorder and is one of the most talked about disorder in today’s times. The primary and most commonly known symptom for autistic individuals is their inability to socialize and interact in a normal way with the world around them. There are many different symptoms and varying degrees of those symptoms that can range from not being able to comprehend the other person’s feelings to not being able to express his/her own emotions.


Albert Einstein is said to an ideal case of high functioning autism. Rather he was considered to a borderline case of autism and had a high and almost unnatural knack for cracking puzzles that baffled many. Probably, having your brain differently wired isn't such a bad thing after all.

Yeah! Optimistic words... but we live in a sea of humanity where there are many sharks and the ability of the fish to climb a tree will not get it much traction in the sea!!

Help Guides

During my search for resources and knowledge about autism I came across some great and some not so great books. My six years old who didn’t talk until he was three didn't get a definitive diagnosis from any doctor and out of desperation I searched high and low. In that search I came across lots of free data on the internet and some books that were certainly worth the money I paid for them. At around 3yo my son was saying 2-3 words and now at 6yo he is talking up a storm but the language, diction and everything else about it is not very “normal”. I am still worried about how long he'll take to “catch up” or if he ever will! I am sure until he becomes "normal" I will have the autism ghost haunt me. Much that I try to accept him as he is, I do worry about Here are the books I read and researched and I recommend both of them highly:

Of course, there are a hundred other books, like The Einstein Syndrome (specially for late talkers) but you have my choice here ...^^ above.

Different Forms and Variations of Autism

A person could be diagnosed with sever, mild, or high functioning autism and just like these labels differ for each person diagnosed with Autism, their ability to interact with the world around them and lead a normal or near-normal life will vary.

What’s so great about HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM?

As the diagnosis of Autism goes, high functioning Autism is the best kind you could have. If the symptoms and signs are compared against the other two kinds then this one is actually much less severe. Autistic people who have average, or above average intelligence levels, are the ones who are diagnosed with “high functioning autism”. No matter which kind of autism is diagnosed or the severity of it, high functioning autistics have to still find ways of coping and dealing with every day challenges that are presented. If anyone around the person or even if the person has the disorder everyone should be educated about the challenges and how to handle things that might transpire.

Symptoms Related to High Functioning Autism

With high functioning autism there will be a variety of symptoms to watch for. Even though a person with high functioning autism may not have any delays in the development of language, there could be other signs they experience.

  • Delay in Motor Skills: One thing to watch for with high functioning autism is a delay in their motor skills. There will be no mistaking this symptom since it is so prominent. Children can be just a typical child or they can be very intelligent but, if there are complications with their motor skills then the risks are good that high functioning autism is the underlying problem.
  • Difficulty with Abstract Language: Is the person having problems understanding abstract language? This is a prominent symptom of high functioning autism. It usually leans more to comments that are supposed to be funny along with conversations that are considered “give and take”.
  • Sensitivity to Smells/Textures or Sounds: Another easy sign that would indicate high functioning autism is the person reacting to smells differently, wanting to study textures, certain sights, or any other item that is considered sensory but, is not a big deal for people without the disorder.

Every form of autism is different which mean the people will function differently in situations. With high functioning autism the person does very much want to interact with others … just that they have a hard time with any/some type of social setting all the time. The person longs to be involved with others but are lacking the necessary skills for handling social situations and are not good at reading emotions.

Making sense of DSM V Criteria

Though there are strong voices questioning the reliability of the DSM criteria, they are the best we have for classifying mental disorders. The following conceptual framework diagram shows the overlapping and coexisting (known as co-morbidity in medical terms) conditions, clearly suggesting that at a time several different symptoms indicating co-morbid conditions may exist.

Is There A Cure For High Functioning Autism

Even though high functioning autism cannot be “cured”, there are ways of dealing with the disorder. The person might be taking prescribed medication, going through behavior analysis, or getting therapy that could be physical or occupational for helping with the treatment of the autism. The objective is to use the strengths of the person for building their weaknesses so they can lead as “normal” a life as possible. Of course, normal is sometimes a subjective word and some autistic people feel and react completely normally in certain situations. Additionally, what is normal to them may not be so normal for you … well, just a way of seeing the grass from your side of the fence, isn’t it?

Criticism of DSM V

The detractors of the DSM V often say that these criteria covers pretty much every human being. Jokes abound about how these diagnosis of ADHD and mental disorders give children and adults an excuse to their errant behavior. There is an understanding among certain groups that these criteria an easy way out to truant playing children and this kind of approach re-enforces their behaviors in some ways instead of discouraging or correcting them.

More by this Author

Comments 2 comments

hiya-writer profile image

hiya-writer 17 months ago from India

I completely understand..my nephew is a cheerful boy with autism.

Only1Talat profile image

Only1Talat 17 months ago Author

Yeah, I guess it's all fine unless the child actually get really awkward or socially awkward. It can be just a character quirk, but if someone faces social awkwardness so much that it handicaps them, then it can become a problem.


    0 of 8192 characters used
    Post Comment


    Click to Rate This Article