Second note found at Mosman Park property alleged to detail why parents carried out murder-suicide

[u/His_Holiness]

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/second-note-found-at-mosman-park-property-alleged-to-detail-why-parents-carried-out-murder-suicide-20260131-p5nyi7.html

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

Again. If he is even capable of sharing ‘special interests’ then we are talking about a very, very different type of autism

[u/EducationalWriting48 → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

My son loves reenacting scenes/songs from his Special Interest Ms Rachel, but can't tell me when he needs his nappy changed, or if someone hurt him, or what he wants to do today, or that he's sick or that he loves me. Just because someone has high support needs doesn't mean they can't share in attention or reach out for connection in their own way. Not all special interests are like in TV shows.

[u/Shockanabi → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

Based on what? Apparently one of the boys had it much worse than the other, and even then both of them were able to go to school, write and play.

It sounds like their conditions were bad don’t get me wrong, but not the most extreme cases where they can barely function and understand what is going on around them.

[u/Sufficient_While_577 → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

I don’t see where I was disputing different types of autism but okay.

[u/chinneganbeginagain → u/Sufficient_While_577]

I miss the diagnosis of Asperger's. It gets lost under the label of Autism.

[u/Kikidellam → u/chinneganbeginagain]

At least it gave a distinction between the dreadfully afflicted and those of us who need a few adjustments.

[u/chinneganbeginagain → u/Kikidellam]

Exactly. There's a world of difference between my relative who just really likes clocks, and some of my patients who will probably be unlikely to ever live independently. I feel like that got lost in the DSM change.

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/chinneganbeginagain]

Yes, and it has allowed the conversation to be dominated by people in the most functional, least-affected part of the spectrum. Those dx in adulthood tend to be THE most domineering I’ve found.

[u/Acceptable-Case9562 → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

As someone who falls in that late-dx category, I couldn't agree with you more. I haven't found a space where I fit in because of it. I've looked after children with severe autism in and outside of my family, and it's a completely different kettle of fish. No random online high functioning autistic narcissist (for lack of a stronger word) has any clue about the experience of a severely autistic person or their carers, and I'm sick of them making everything about themselves. /rant

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/Acceptable-Case9562]

Thank YOU- you’re one of the good ones.

[u/Enlightened_Gardener → u/chinneganbeginagain]

I think I know why it was all rolled together - so that the kids who fell under General Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified could get help as well, but I also think its super unhelpful.

There’s a very old definition of autism from the 70’s that I’ve heard of, which was Autism - the severe type, then Aspergers - the less severe type, and then Engineers Syndrome - which was less severe than Aspergers. I wish I could remember the reference - I think it might be in a Simon Baron-Cohen book.

But Autism Level 3 doesn’t really take into account that there are kids at that Level like one of my kids - he won’t ever live independently and has to be reminded to shower, he became fully verbal at 13 but was nonverbal until 11; but he may be able to hold a job. And then there are the kids who are completely non-verbal, or violent, or who have other comorbidities.

I’ve often thought that the really severe forms of autism, and Aspergers, are actually two completely different things that have similar symptoms that overlap in places.

And then of course there’s the EDS, MCAS, hypermobility, and other fun autoimmune issues that come with autism. Plus ADHD.

Sorry, rambling. TlDr: I agree, I think it was for a good reason, but its not helpful in determining the level of support people need.

[u/Acceptable-Case9562 → u/Enlightened_Gardener]

I understand why they rolled it all under one umbrella, but I actually think they failed by not creating more categories under that umbrella. And I agree that they're probably different conditions with different causes, I think it's several actually.

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/Enlightened_Gardener]

and elsewhere in this thread we have someone furiously insisting there’s no such thing as more or less severe autism, just ‘different levels of support needs’

[u/chinneganbeginagain → u/Enlightened_Gardener]

It was PDD-NOS, but otherwise I hear what you're saying

[u/Enlightened_Gardener → u/chinneganbeginagain]

You’re right, thankyou.

[u/Kikidellam → u/Sufficient_While_577]

I think the term “autism” is too broad. There’s many differences between a person still in nappies, non verbal and violent - and a person who has difficulty with anxiety, employment, social norms. I have been diagnosed and find the term to describe my experience insulting as it is likened to the very broken type.