Anonymous wrote:NP. You guys are seriously tearing each other up, and for what? Please take a step back and reassess.

FWIW, my child was diagnosed with MERLD and no one has ever for a minute suspected an ASD diagnosis. Went through speech therapy and language is much improved. Most people would not detect the lingering issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

I spent a lot of time reading everything that I could on MERLD, when my son was diagnosed with MERLD. The evidence doesn't agree with you. Here's why you are wrong:

1. If kids have deficits in receptive speech and expressive speech, it is going to look very similar on an fMRI, regardless of the diagnosis. Kids with ASD also have other problems, and that may show up in other areas on an fMRI, but the shared language issues make them look similar.

2. Kids with MERLD and ASD present similarly, especially if the MERLD is severe or the ASD is high functioning. That is why the differential diagnosis can be difficult, and many professionals have a hard time doing it. That's why lots of people recommending going to the Camaratas. They have a lot of experience making that differential diagnosis.

3. Kids with MERLD have on-going deficits, even as adults. I posted the research on another thread. Go read it. In general, I agree that their prognosis is better as a group than the prognosis for kids with ASD, but they aren't going to outgrow MERLD and become NT. They aren't all going to do better than all kids with ASDs, either.

Your child does not have MERLD and was improperly diagnosed from what you have said. What experience do you have going to the Camarata's? What other issues do you feel my child currently has? You are rambling about "research" quoting others of what you found off the internet. You have no true experience and sadly do not even understand the differences in MERLD vs. ASD and what the impact of each diagnosis is. Your kid sounds like a nightmare with ADHD and ASD, but not all of our kids are remotely like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

They are not the same nor are services. ASD has an Aba focus for services, MERLD has a speech therapy focus. They are very different. Our ABA therapist ended up doing very basic speech and did not really understand the complexity of it so it was more play than anything, which of course is not real ABA. Speech therapy for a true MERLD kid is far better. The advantage of an autism diagnosis is most insurances will pay Aba, speech, ot and pt. with a language disorder, few pay. Kids with MERLD can show with autism quirks early on but the difference is MERLD kids often outgrow them vs. they stay but may change form as kids grow older. Having the right diagnosis and understanding it, helps parents get better services catered to their child's needs

Many people do not understand language disorders and anyone lumping the, in as ASD should not be diagnosing. Diagnosing is not an exact science. It is a guessing game where kids have to fit in checkboxes, sadly.

Depends. For my kid with ASD/ADHD, ABA was never suggested by anyone including the dev ped and neuropsych. His therapies are mostly speech based specifically pragmatic speech therapy and social skills classes other than OT for fine motor currently for touch typing speed. Other than pragmatic issues, DS's language is highly superior even compared to most NT kids so while his therapy is language based, it targets a very specific area of weakness in his case pragmatics.

As for outgrowing one's symptoms, no one who meets DS ever thinks he has any diagnosis. He presents NT at 8 yo (he is medicated for the ADHD) just really energetic and "passionate" about life in general

Ok, and please remind me how your son's ASD and ADHD have to do with MERLD? Pragmatic issues are very different than receptive and expressive issues. You clearly do not understand language delays if you are comparing our children'd behaviors to yours and saying they are similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

They are not the same nor are services. ASD has an Aba focus for services, MERLD has a speech therapy focus. They are very different. Our ABA therapist ended up doing very basic speech and did not really understand the complexity of it so it was more play than anything, which of course is not real ABA. Speech therapy for a true MERLD kid is far better. The advantage of an autism diagnosis is most insurances will pay Aba, speech, ot and pt. with a language disorder, few pay. Kids with MERLD can show with autism quirks early on but the difference is MERLD kids often outgrow them vs. they stay but may change form as kids grow older. Having the right diagnosis and understanding it, helps parents get better services catered to their child's needs

Many people do not understand language disorders and anyone lumping the, in as ASD should not be diagnosing. Diagnosing is not an exact science. It is a guessing game where kids have to fit in checkboxes, sadly.

Depends. For my kid with ASD/ADHD, ABA was never suggested by anyone including the dev ped and neuropsych. His therapies are mostly speech based specifically pragmatic speech therapy and social skills classes other than OT for fine motor currently for touch typing speed. Other than pragmatic issues, DS's language is highly superior even compared to most NT kids so while his therapy is language based, it targets a very specific area of weakness in his case pragmatics.

As for outgrowing one's symptoms, no one who meets DS ever thinks he has any diagnosis. He presents NT at 8 yo (he is medicated for the ADHD) just really energetic and "passionate" about life in general

Ok, and please remind me how your son's ASD and ADHD have to do with MERLD? Pragmatic issues are very different than receptive and expressive issues. You clearly do not understand language delays if you are comparing our children'd behaviors to yours and saying they are similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

I spent a lot of time reading everything that I could on MERLD, when my son was diagnosed with MERLD. The evidence doesn't agree with you. Here's why you are wrong:

1. If kids have deficits in receptive speech and expressive speech, it is going to look very similar on an fMRI, regardless of the diagnosis. Kids with ASD also have other problems, and that may show up in other areas on an fMRI, but the shared language issues make them look similar.

2. Kids with MERLD and ASD present similarly, especially if the MERLD is severe or the ASD is high functioning. That is why the differential diagnosis can be difficult, and many professionals have a hard time doing it. That's why lots of people recommending going to the Camaratas. They have a lot of experience making that differential diagnosis.

3. Kids with MERLD have on-going deficits, even as adults. I posted the research on another thread. Go read it. In general, I agree that their prognosis is better as a group than the prognosis for kids with ASD, but they aren't going to outgrow MERLD and become NT. They aren't all going to do better than all kids with ASDs, either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not obsessed. Just saw a disagreement, and thought I would answer with the facts. Note that I did not say what my child has, so you have no way to know if I am a "MERLD Parent" or not.

Since facts are apparently not relevant to this issue, I am done with it. I suggest you let this thread die the quiet death it deserves.

Bye.

OP, if you're not obsessed, you wouldn't have posted. So glad to know you're "done with it."

Here are some facts...

--A kid can have receptive and expressive speech delays that may resolve over time.
--A kid can have receptive and expressive speech delays that don't resolve and they get additional diagnoses...
which can include but not limited to, ASD, ADHD language based learning disorders, executive function issues, and APD (although this last one isn't still in the DSM)
--If your young child is diagnosed with "MERLD" or ASD their speech therapy is going to look generally the same.
--There are high functioning kids with ASD, MERLD and a host of other issues.
--There are kids who are less fortunate.
--There are kids with ASD who have repetitive behaviors. There are kids with Tourettes, PANDAS, or OCD with repetitive behaviors.

There are kids with any and all of the above who have social skill impairments b/c whether or not social deficits are due to the fact that a kid has trouble picking up on social cues due to their
--autism
--ADHD
--expressive or receptive speech delay
--or other _______ fill-in-the-blank...

We're all in this frickin' sh*tty life boat together. So, OP, I'm so glad you're "over it."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

They are not the same nor are services. ASD has an Aba focus for services, MERLD has a speech therapy focus. They are very different. Our ABA therapist ended up doing very basic speech and did not really understand the complexity of it so it was more play than anything, which of course is not real ABA. Speech therapy for a true MERLD kid is far better. The advantage of an autism diagnosis is most insurances will pay Aba, speech, ot and pt. with a language disorder, few pay. Kids with MERLD can show with autism quirks early on but the difference is MERLD kids often outgrow them vs. they stay but may change form as kids grow older. Having the right diagnosis and understanding it, helps parents get better services catered to their child's needs

Many people do not understand language disorders and anyone lumping the, in as ASD should not be diagnosing. Diagnosing is not an exact science. It is a guessing game where kids have to fit in checkboxes, sadly.

Depends. For my kid with ASD/ADHD, ABA was never suggested by anyone including the dev ped and neuropsych. His therapies are mostly speech based specifically pragmatic speech therapy and social skills classes other than OT for fine motor currently for touch typing speed. Other than pragmatic issues, DS's language is highly superior even compared to most NT kids so while his therapy is language based, it targets a very specific area of weakness in his case pragmatics.

As for outgrowing one's symptoms, no one who meets DS ever thinks he has any diagnosis. He presents NT at 8 yo (he is medicated for the ADHD) just really energetic and "passionate" about life in general

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not obsessed. Just saw a disagreement, and thought I would answer with the facts. Note that I did not say what my child has, so you have no way to know if I am a "MERLD Parent" or not.

Since facts are apparently not relevant to this issue, I am done with it. I suggest you let this thread die the quiet death it deserves.

Bye.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

They are not the same nor are services. ASD has an Aba focus for services, MERLD has a speech therapy focus. They are very different. Our ABA therapist ended up doing very basic speech and did not really understand the complexity of it so it was more play than anything, which of course is not real ABA. Speech therapy for a true MERLD kid is far better. The advantage of an autism diagnosis is most insurances will pay Aba, speech, ot and pt. with a language disorder, few pay. Kids with MERLD can show with autism quirks early on but the difference is MERLD kids often outgrow them vs. they stay but may change form as kids grow older. Having the right diagnosis and understanding it, helps parents get better services catered to their child's needs

Many people do not understand language disorders and anyone lumping the, in as ASD should not be diagnosing. Diagnosing is not an exact science. It is a guessing game where kids have to fit in checkboxes, sadly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

I totally disagree with the conclusion that kids outgrow MERLD but ASD is some sort of life long curse. My child who unquestionably has ASD and has had lots of social skills therapy. While difficulties with pragmatics and social anxiety remain, they have gotten much better with therapy and development. Just like I suspect with kids with MERLD, they improve with time and therapy but will always have vestiges of language struggle.

Most things exist on a spectrum (not to be confused with "the spectrum"). Some kids with any diagnosis will have lifelong struggles and other kids will be able to learn, compensate, and grow so that their adult difficulties will be much less.

So, you don't have any real experience with MERLD, yet, continue to feel the need to tell us what our children are going to be like, what therapies are best for them, etc., all based off your ASD experience? Sounds like you are having a tuff time with the ASD diagnosis. Kids with just MERLD tend to fair pretty well. Its the ones who have other disorders, such as reading are the ones who continue to struggle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

I totally disagree with the conclusion that kids outgrow MERLD but ASD is some sort of life long curse. My child who unquestionably has ASD and has had lots of social skills therapy. While difficulties with pragmatics and social anxiety remain, they have gotten much better with therapy and development. Just like I suspect with kids with MERLD, they improve with time and therapy but will always have vestiges of language struggle.

Most things exist on a spectrum (not to be confused with "the spectrum"). Some kids with any diagnosis will have lifelong struggles and other kids will be able to learn, compensate, and grow so that their adult difficulties will be much less.

So, you don't have any real experience with MERLD, yet, continue to feel the need to tell us what our children are going to be like, what therapies are best for them, etc., all based off your ASD experience? Sounds like you are having a tuff time with the ASD diagnosis. Kids with just MERLD tend to fair pretty well. Its the ones who have other disorders, such as reading are the ones who continue to struggle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

I totally disagree with the conclusion that kids outgrow MERLD but ASD is some sort of life long curse. My child who unquestionably has ASD and has had lots of social skills therapy. While difficulties with pragmatics and social anxiety remain, they have gotten much better with therapy and development. Just like I suspect with kids with MERLD, they improve with time and therapy but will always have vestiges of language struggle.

Most things exist on a spectrum (not to be confused with "the spectrum"). Some kids with any diagnosis will have lifelong struggles and other kids will be able to learn, compensate, and grow so that their adult difficulties will be much less.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.