comorbidty of spectrum disorders and anxiety issues/<acronym title="Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder">adhd</acronym> is high, and its completely possible to have both a spectrum disorder and a mental health disorder...the same way someone can have both diabetes and heart disease.
that said, <acronym title="In My Opinion">in my opinion</acronym>,its important to not minimize the impact of social deficeits...when we talk about social issues, is more than "hard time making friends" or "difficulty knowing whats expected of them". much more--social interaction is just a part of it. for whatever reason, <acronym title="Autism Spectrum Disorder">Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)</acronym> kids have a hard time with the minutia of life...things other people just "know". its hard to explain what i mean, especially since every kid is different. it often comes across as having no filter, no couth, or as being manipulative. they tend to not have the saavy needed to navigate a complex world.
kids on the spectrum can most certainly be taught lots of skills to compensate for it, but the problem with that is sometimes situations cant be anticipated, or a response/reaction might vary depending on the situation--think about how frustrating that must be. i'm trying to think of a good example to explain what i mean...i guess a simplified one would be something like...lets teach kid how to introduce themselves---so, often, a well meaning sp. therapist tells them what to say..."Hi, my name is first,last. GREAT. if you are talking to an adult. NOT SO GREAT if you are on the playground. instead of noticing that other kids say, I don't know, "hey dude, what up"....they launch into "hi, my name is first, last". and then they dont "get" why the other kid looks at them like they have two heads---in their minds, thats what they were taught, its polite, its a perfectly acceptable response, it works great in other situations--why the HECK did that kid walk away from me?
its kind of in the
noticing. and the slickness. NT kids just seem to "get" it...whether is because they have more of a peer group or if its inate, I don't know. our kids kind of get befuddled over what they are supposed to do...another example: bell rings, most kids know to sit down, get out pencil and be quiet. sometimes (not always of course, i'm trying to come up with drastic examples!)...the <acronym title="Autism Spectrum Disorder">Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)</acronym> kid might not even
realize the rest of the class is ready to go--maybe they honed in on a new item in the classroom and they are standing in front of it examining every iota of it. another kid that wanted to check out that item ran over, examined it, but heard the footsteps of the teacher and ran to his seat at the last second so he appeared to be doing what was expected. or, kid might have been taught that when the bell rings at 8:51, you must be in your seat...all other kids "heard" teacher is absent, and the sub is running late, so its party time--but there is kid sitting in seat, ready to go, at exactly 8:51---as in, that is the rule, thats what i'm supposed to do--they have difficulty "going with the flow"....they just know thats what they always do at 8:51!
i also think the higher functioning one is on the spectrum, the MORE subtle the issue is, and the more frustrating it is for people to understand they ARENT just being manipulative in the true sense of the word (in the simplified sense, sometimes..."i want that candy", no (meltdown) give candy (meltdown ends)--simple, almost primative, reactionary method of getting what they want.)
meltdowns that have a distinct trigger are all part and parcel of it--again, impulse control, the obliviousness, the self centeredness, very often their literal reasoning, and almost an inability to realize "that aint working for you"--the frustration levels are crazy high. sometimes its hard to pinpoint that trigger, especially when the reaction seems SO overblown, but we have to almost get inside their heads and see it from their perspective, which often is so far removed from OUR perspective. and sometimes we just.dont.listen.
maybe (MORE THAN LIKELY, ROFL!) i'm not making much sense--i'm having a very hard time putting it into words. but being a social being is much more than having a clique of friends--it impacts every breathing minute of our lives.
and you know what they say about those who assume...with our kids, its pretty much a given that if you assume one thing, you probably arent even close