I am an author doing research for a fictional character. I am
wondering if there is such a thing as an "autism" so mild, so
borderline that one is never sure what to call it. I read a list of
the signs, but what if they are only mildly (or sometimes?) present?
How common is it to have a borderline diagnosis? Would this be called
something else like "mild... such and such..." Is there a specific
website (or book) that will help with this? [I prefer answers that are
not just cut-and-paste lists of websites that come up on google for
"autism"-- I can do that myself].... I am looking more for an opinion
from someone who really knows something.

Hi charidea-ga!

Thanks for asking! I found some information that will assist you.
Indeed there is a mild form of autism, in fact, autism as we have come
to know it is only the extreme end of the autism spectrum. Better
diagnosis has led to a wide range of symptoms from very mild, called
"high-functioning autism" [Asperger syndrome], to very severe.

See this:

Helping Kids with Mild Autism
http://www.utah.edu/news/releases/02/jun/autism.html
..."The classic definition of autism includes "children who have very
low interest in relating to other people," Ozonoff says. "They don't
seem to have any desire to engage in social interactions. They usually
have significant language limitations. Some don't speak at all and
some just repeat others' speech. They are clearly very delayed in
their language. They usually have any number of a variety of
repetitive behaviors, things they do over and over again. It could be
flapping their hands, or rocking or spinning. … To have classic
autism, you have to show a certain number of features in each of three
areas: social impairment, communication impairment and repetitive
behaviors."

However, researchers have realized in recent decades that classic
autism is just the severe end of a spectrum of disorders that also
include milder conditions in which affected children and adults may be
intelligent, communicative, articulate and able to learn, but still
have some social and communications impairments and other autism-like
symptoms.

The milder conditions are known as Asperger syndrome, high-functioning
autism and "pervasive developmental disability - not otherwise
specified." Ozonoff's book makes clear that while researchers and
clinicians have tried to distinguish these three conditions, they are
similar and indeed may represent one condition that is simply a mild
form of autism.

"These higher-functioning versions of autism still involve the same
areas [of impairment], but of a different quality," Ozonoff says. "In
the social area, they might not be completely aloof or uninterested in
interacting, but may be quite odd in how they try to interact with
others. … In the communication area, they may not have any delays in
language but they usually have some differences or oddities in their
communication style. For example, they might talk too much instead of
too little, or their speech might not be really reciprocal, like it's
not related to what other people say. You make a comment and the child
answers back according to what they want to say instead of what you
asked."

Children and adults with mild autism also may not have repetitive
behaviors, but instead display almost obsessive interest in certain
narrow or unusual topics.

"Some kids are interested in movie ratings or animal classifications
or sprinkler systems," says Ozonoff, who had one patient able to
identify numerous vacuum-cleaner parts.

Other symptoms that may be seen in children with mild autism include
extreme anxiety over changes in routine, unstable mood, poor motor
skills, an ability to get along with adults better than with children,
poor common sense, trouble making eye contact, difficulty detecting
nonverbal cues from other people, a lack of empathy or social or
emotional reciprocity, echoing lines from videos or books, and an
inability to engage in pretend play.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder also suffer frequent
teasing because they have interests unlike other children or otherwise
do not fit in, Ozonoff says.

A study in the late 1980s estimated autism affected 1-in-1,000
children - and that estimate was criticized as high, Ozonoff says. But
a definitive study published in 2001 estimated 1-in-160 children had
some form of autism, with about one-fourth of those having classic
autism and the rest affected by milder forms.

"We used to think it was such a rare disorder it wasn't included in
Psych 101 or even in most graduate training programs," Ozonoff says.
"Now it's turning out to be one of the most common developmental
disorders. Everyone needs to know about it. Almost everyone is going
to meet someone with autism spectrum disorder whether they know it or
not."

Ozonoff says the reason for the increase is not known, although better
diagnosis and environmental factors are possible. (However, a series
of recent studies found no evidence to support claims that the vaccine
for mumps, measles and rubella might be linked to autism.)..."


This may be useful as it a well organized checklist of symptoms, a
"cheat-sheet" for you:

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, A MILD AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER by Kathy Rand,
Ph.D. 2/1/2003
http://home.swbell.net/jim-rand/checklist.html
Scroll down to:
Social Interactions
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication [etc]... there's a lot of
information at the link, and it's very well organized.


There's 1,590 links for the [Google] search entry: "mild autism", so
if you'd like me to pick out a few more for you, please ask for a
clarification. I won't mind at all!

Sincerely,
--Cynthia

Search terms used at Google:
"mild autism"

My younger brother was diagnosed as "mildly autistic" in the 1960s. I
now believe that what was called "mild autism" in the '60s may
actually have been a form of attention-deficit disorder. My brother's
intellect was not impaired, but his social interactions and his
ability to function in a classroom setting were very poor until
adolescence struck. Perhaps something about the hormonal fluctuations
of his teen years produced a change, because he later went on to great
academic success, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Physics at the age
of nineteen.

My daughter was labeled mildly autistic at 3 1/2. All I ever knew of
autism was what I saw in the movies. So, to me, all afflicted with
autism were as severe as Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man."

Thankfully, this is not so. My daughter functions beautifully in
society in so many ways. She is smart. She is funny and understands
humor well. She has low tolerance for injustice of any
kind--especially the type inflicted on her by teasing boys the teasing
boys in school.

But she is immature for her age. At nine, she acts more like seven. A
small price to pay if when she is 21, she only acts if she's 19. Time
will tell if this maturity factor causes her to lag further behind.

The issue she obsesses on the most is God. In at least half her
conversations she will bring the topic around to Jesus or God the
Father. As we are Christians, there is an element of this that is
wonderful to us. But we are teaching her about context and making sure
when God comes into the conversation that He is relevant to what is
being talked about.

Seeing severely autistic children has given us the realization that
our daughter's mild diagnosis is a blessing. She has taught us as much
as we have taught her.

I am an author currently writing a non-fiction book and wish you well
in your endeavor. Is there a book you have already written so I could
look you up and buy something of yours on Amazon.com?

I am new to Google Answers and don't know if this is possible, but I
will answer specific questions about my daughter's traits if they will
help you dig deeply into your character.

My 3 year old son is in the maw of the diagnostic system right now. 
Some claim he is "on the spectrum" and others that he has adhd plus a
mild communication disorder.  He has a very short attention span and
ability to focus, and his speech is impaired, although improving a
lot, and he appears spacey and out of it sometimes and never seems to
understand what is expected of him.  Also he is v. good at puzzles,
reads very well and his numeracy is that of a child twice his age.  He
can also hyperfocus on things which catch his interest, especially if
it is something new and different.  He goes through enthusiasms for
things but does not fixate to the level you might expect of an
autistic child.  His eye contact varies from quite good to quite poor,
and his ability to connect with people varies in the same way,
depending on the other person involved and on how my son is doing that
day.  He connects best with people he sees a lot who pay him positive
attention, and with these people (children and adults) he uses his
highest levels of back and forth, interactive language.  He is very
loving, affectionate, huggy/cuddly, loves a teasing joke. He does not
seem to have any sensory issues, beyond a mild dislike of the tags at
the back of his shirts and a liking for straight socks. His
imaginative play is interesting, in that he loves to pretend, but his
pretend play can be repetitive, and always involves something he has
done or seen before, like going to the shops, or a storyline from one
of his books.  He has not yet displayed the ability to create an
original idea from his imagination, but he can use representation
(spontaneously picks up a stick and pretends it is a vacuum cleaner)
and goes through a whole series of miming motions (putting a pretend
cake in a pretend oven, taking it out again, putting it in the window
of a pretend bakery). Sometimes he seems oblivious to the feelings of
others, other times he seems tender hearted and cries when someone
else is upset. Some people say he is too interested in people and
lacks the obsessional interest of even a higher functioning autistic
child, but he has these worrying autistic-like features.  He exhibits
unevenness rather than a bald defecit in the areas of imagination,
social communication and empathy (theory of mind).  Some have ventured
that there is plenty of room on the autistic spectrum for my son, at
an even higher functioning level than an Asperger's child.  If you are
interested, I can keep you up on his progress.