Autistic Tendencies vs. Autism

When I was 17 I spent 8 days in a youth psychiatric ward. I was diagnosed with depression, but my mother was given a paper that also said that I had autistic tendencies. I had been to psychiatrists before I was 17, but none of them mentioned anything about autistic tendencies to my mother. So, that was the first we heard of it! Imagine the surprise. However, mom didn't tell me about it until after I was at home again, and she didn't ask the psychiatrist about it. She figured it meant I was autistic and she didn't know much about autism. But, while I know more about autism than my mother does, I haven't ever come across autistic tendencies as a diagnosis before. Although, I haven't done extensive research, either. :p Still, I thought that I would ask if anyone on Xanga knew. Sorry to sound inept... -------------- What's the difference between Autistic Tendencies as a diagnosis, compared to Autism?