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Expert Q&A
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| By David L. Fay, M.D. Family Physician Associate Director, Waukesha Family Practice Residency Program | ||
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My son is 5 years old, and I have been told that he is not autistic but that he has spectrum disorder. I have started researching different things to get him the right therapy. This is the first I have heard of this disorder, and my son has been in therapy for three and a half years. Could you please tell me about the symptoms and the differences from autism?
There is no difference between autism and autism spectrum disorder – the latter is a term which recognizes that children with autism vary widely in their presentations, from mild to severe. In other words, children may be high functioning, with high intelligence and fewer autistic characteristics or may exhibit many characteristics which inhibit social and motor function. Autism spectrum disorder simply means an autistic child is part of a spectrum from mildly to severely affected."
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