Question Details: Do you think the actual diagnostic criteria is being used all the time, or are kids who "may be at risk" being diagnosed as well. I ask because I met a boy, age 3 who’s Mom said he was diagnosed with autism at 2. This boy was referencing her from across a playground, playing with another child, came when she called him, and answered questions appropriately. I saw nothing that resembled autism. I have a child with autism, and have met many, so it’s not like I have no experience, though I know I’m not a diagnosticician. I know early intervention is important, but 1 year of intervention makes autism disappear? I question the correctness of the diagnosis. Wondering if anyone else has seen examples like this.
Along those same lines, if you have a child diagnosed with autism…At what age? Do you feel it was accurate? How old is your child now and how are they doing? What therapy have you used. Do you think your child will be cured or be unidentifiable in the future
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My child has "classic autism", is very low functioning and has been receiving ABA treatment for over a year…she has a looooong way to go! But I do know many kids in the program who are much higher functioning and you need to be with them for quite a while before you see the "autistic features" pop up (I guess that’s a good sign that therapy works). For me, it looks like only 1 in every 10 of the kids at the centre have autism but I’m comparing them to my child who is non-verbal and has nothing but behaviours! I’ve talked to many parents who are overwhelmed and stressed by their child’s level of disability when I would give anything for my child to have half their child’s abilities but it’s all about what you’re use to. I’ve decided that it is not my place to make the call whether or not a child is "really autistic" and to (try to) leave that up to the Dr.’s. Yes, I do believe that some tread the fine line (and may be improperly diagnosed) but I have a sibling who is definitely on the spectrum, was not diagnosed till much later in life and his childhood/adolescence was a nightmare!
My child was identified "officially" at 23 months (I fought with the Dr.’s for 9-10 months previous to this…she had many "red flags") and I believe the diagnosis was accurate (text book actually). As I mentioned she has been in an ABA program for 1 year (we were on a wait list for 2 1/2 years) doing 23-25 hours a week plus pre-school for a total of 36 hour a week. We have seen wonderful improvements, she’s toilet trained, behaviours have significantly decreased and she’s learning things we never though possible…her future is still uncertain but I find it hard (at this point) to believe she will one day be unidentifiable. At this stage, the idea of one day having a conversation with her seems impossible…but we’re hopeful and have been shocked by her progress this far