I have a friend with a child in my DS's grade at his school. They were given an autism diagnosis by the school system for their child when he was around 3 and IEP was written. They say that now they can't get rid of it, and they do think that some of the "therapies" that the school has tried have been actually harmful, or at least not productive.
The school is not actually allowed to "diagnose" anyone with a disorder. The school's role is only to provide an educational evaluation, which assesses the educational needs only, not the overall picture of what's going on with the child.
It sounds as though in this case the school people overstepped their bounds (saying "diagnosis" where they should not) and/or got it wrong, or the parents have misunderstood the process. At any rate, the parents are members of the IEP team and can request meetings to collect data and/or change the plan.
The way to "get rid of it" is to convene an IEP meeting and change the stated reason for the IEP. One would probably need an outside evaluation to contrast with the school's. If the parents don't like the school's opinion, they are legally entitled to request an independent evaluation at the district's expense. (See Wrightslaw.com for details.)
There is no such thing as a permanent school record for kids this young.
And even if a child doesn't really have autism, the supports/therapies MAY be helpful, but the child should be given supports/therapies which are validated by research for the actual disorder that they DO have whenever possible.
Of course.
So if a child really has an expressive language delay, being put into ABA therapy probably isn't going to be helpful and may be harmful.
If the ABA team is worth its salt, not harmful, because ABA is targeted to meet the actual need (it should not at all be cookie-cutter or inappropriate to the particular child). That, of course, depends on the skill of the implementation.
The problem arises when an early diagnosis is given, everyone assumes it is correct, and then it is not reconsidered later on as new evidence arises.
Right. Pretty much every parent of an unusual child I know is hypervigilant about diagnoses, symptoms, and so on, myself included. And that's not paranoid; it's a sensible response to the reality that our medical system does not offer any kind of safety net for us. It's on us to get it all done.
I am not, FWIW, offended. It's just that I care very much about how these issues are discussed. There is a minefield of misconceptions out there that don't do anyone any good.
My 2 cents.
DeeDee
