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Question:

The LPN is receiving a report on a newly admitted 14-year-old boy. He is described as being very bright and a good communicator, but his social interactions seem a bit “off.” He spends much of his time playing with his baseball card collection, which he has organized in a meticulous fashion. Given this information, which diagnosis does the nurse suspect the patient may have?

A autism spectrum disorder
explanation

We usually do not think of people with autism as having good communication skills, so this is a tricky one. The child described would have fallen into an Asperger syndrome diagnosis before 2013, which is now termed “high-functioning autism” and falls on the autism spectrum.
Children with this diagnosis tend to be very bright and often have a good command of language. While they may enjoy being social, they can seem “awkward” or “different” in their interactions. They often are interested in a particular subject or topic and become extremely fixated on it. Those with lower-functioning autism typically have language delays and are not interested in social interaction.
**Note: LPNs are not able to diagnosis Asperger’s or any other mental or medical health condition; this must be done by a qualified medical doctor. However, LPNs should be aware of such conditions and their signs, symptoms, and treatments.

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