Help with abbreviations needed!

[RNMOM]

I frequent this board for my mobility disabilities, Fibro, psoriatic arthritis and osteo arthritis. I am also an R.N. but I must admit I am lost when I read some of the diagnosis abbreviations. I expecially have difficulty understanding those of children. I admit to being a nurse but my training was 35 years ago and believe it or not most of these disabilities/diagnoses did not exist. Well they existed but weren't recognized or acknowledged. Now I really feel old.

Can you help us a little by writing out the topic in the beginning then resort to the abbreviation? I would love to understand your issues and see if there is any way I can help or offer understanding. Thanks in advance.

 

[BeckyScott]

I think sometimes on the internet you'll find both the "official" abbreviation, and also some sort of message-board lingo. Most of the message boards for autism have a language all their own, but they all kinda use the same thing. (kinda like texting, which I am entirely too old to catch onto but have noticed my 10-year-old using in conversation even though he doesn't have a cell phone)

I once used the term N/T with our pediatrician and she looked at me like I was from Mars.

Lesson 1: N/T: Neuro-Typical: that's what you call the sibling that doesn't have autism. 'Cause you don't want to say "my 8-year-old with autism and my (?? normal ??) other kid". Define normal? What do ya call the other kid? You have one N/T kid and one with autism. But nobody wants to spell out neuro-typical, n/t is so much easier.

Another big autism one is using ASD, which covers the whole spectrum, and sticking the "functioning" level in there. My son is h/f asd.

I'm not really familiar with anything but the autism stuff, though.

 

[SueM in MN]

That is a good suggestion.
There are abbreviations that are very familiar to the person who wrote it, but maybe not to anyone else who doesn't have experience with the condition.
Often by the 4th post on a thread, someone asks what is ----------?