Another diagnosis in the autism spectrum that causes confusion between diagnoses is autistic disorder not otherwise specified (ADD). This disorder is found in the pervasive developmental disorder spectrum with the following symptoms;
- Insufficiently strong impairment in functioning,
- Difficulty in understanding emotions,
- Difficulty in regulating emotions,
- Not fully meeting autism diagnostic criteria,
- Late onset of autistic symptoms,
- Cognitive level not as good as in Asperger syndrome,
- Absence of stereotypical behaviors
This diagnosis is also known as atypical autism and is currently used as a temporary or protective diagnosis, and cases that improve when the cognitive level is very good are also seen.
Some children who may be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome may be diagnosed with BTA at an early age. In the course of pervasive developmental disorder, the diagnosis may change at later ages and sometimes turn into a personality trait.
In our center, children diagnosed with BTA are first evaluated with the developmental evaluation Pep-R scale and Hanen evaluation form. In addition, they are evaluated with the support of Theory of Mind tests appropriate to their age level.
