Is it Autism - or is it DAMP ?

Hi Everyone,

DAMP ( Deficitis in Attention, Motor control and Perceptual abilities ) is another condition which is often mistaken for autism by teachers, when referring students for further assessments.

There is very little information on the web about DAMP but the Sydney Children's Hospital - Westmead site, has a great page with a pdf to print out and share with teachers, parents and carers.

Autism Or Something Else?

Dr. Sally Ozonoff discusses the complexities of clinically diagnosing patients with autism versus other neurodevelopmental disorders when many of the features between disorders are quite similar. (#16237)

When it's not Autism or ADHD it might be- Non Verbal Learning Disability

When I am working in schools, I am often asked to 'check out' another student in the class or school that has some 'autistic like traits'. Diagnosis is the work of a multidisciplinary team, so I tell the school staff that if they are concerned they sound refer the student on for assessment.
There are many conditions that have 'autistic like traits' as part of their profile. Nonverbal language Disorder (NVLD) is one that pops up regularly as the actual diagnosis of students that I am asked to observe.
Click here to read some simple information which explains the differences between a diagnosis of NVLD, ADHD and the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The Coffee klatch Blogtalk Radio show has recently produced an excellent podcast about NVLD. Click here to listen.

Left Handed Writers

Hi Everyone,

During the week, in my role as an Autism visiting teacher, I spent some time observing a left handed 12 year old student, with dysgraphia, during his writing lesson. The teacher wanted to know if his current writing issues were to do with being left handed, autistic or dysgraphic !

Here are 2 very good, short videos which will help teachers and parents to sort out the' left handed' issues from the others.