Misdiagnosing ASD Level 1 [High-Functioning Autism]
"Is it possible for a child suspected of having HFA to be misdiagnosed as having a Personality Disorder?" Personality disorders cannot be safely diagnosed prior to early adolescence. Still, though frequently found between the ages of 3 and 6, High-Functioning Autism [and Asperger's] is often misdiagnosed as a cluster B personality disorder, most often as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). 1. The HFA Child This child is self-centered and engrossed in a narrow range of interests and activities. Social and occupational interactions are severely hampered and conversational skills (the give and take of verbal intercourse) are primitive. The child's body language - eye to eye gaze, body posture, facial expressions - is constricted and artificial, akin to children with the Schizoid, Schizotypal, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders. Nonverbal cues are virtually absent and their interpretation in others lacking. Yet, HFA and personality pathologies h