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Joined: Aug 2010
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http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...-of-autism-spectrum-disorder-why/360482/This struck a chord with me: Diagnostic conundrums enter the picture when we frame autism as a spectrum disorder, (as it is now officially designated in the newly minted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition, the psychiatric handbook used to diagnose it) and try to draw a bold line between a slow-to-mature toddler and one on the mild end of the spectrum. What is a doctor to make of a chatty, intellectually advanced, three-year old patient presenting with a hodgepodge of issues, such as: poor eye contact, clumsiness, difficulties transitioning, overactivity or underactivity, tantruming, picky eating, quirky interests, and social awkwardness? Does this presentation indicate mild ASD? Or, does it speak to a combination of off-beat developmental events that result in a toddler experiencing transitory stress, who is otherwise normal, in the broad sense? Leave off picky eating and quirky interests, and that was my DD--who is now a popular 10yo with many friends, but who still has difficulties transitioning and some odd social skill deficits, and who does not always make good eye contact, most especially when stressed or upset.
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Sorry--I meant to post this in 2E, but I guess it can be left here.
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Better yet: It would appear that the education and training of a sizable percentage of pediatricians and child psychologists leaves them ill-equipped to tease apart the fine distinction between mild ASD and behaviors that fall within the broad swath of normal childhood development.
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Yes, that's the heart of it. Same is true for ADD, of course--and that's arguably a worse problem, since we medicate much more often for it.
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I do think some of this can be attributed to the simple fact that we do not understand either disorder very well at all yet. Still blind people describing the elephant.
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Better yet: It would appear that the education and training of a sizable percentage of pediatricians and child psychologists leaves them ill-equipped to tease apart the fine distinction between mild ASD and behaviors that fall within the broad swath of normal childhood development. Many just don't have enough experience with young children. I think anyone who works in this field should go work in daycare for six months. Teens rarely babysit anymore, families are smaller & farther apart. Young adults who don't have their own kids often have only a textbook idea of what young kids are really like.
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Thanks for posting the article.
When my son was a pre-teen, I had a lot of pressure from untrained teachers/friends/family to have my son "diagnosed" in the aspergers/autistic spectrum. The two psychologists who were working with him for anxiety disorder and social problems both told me that in their opinion he was NOT Aspergers. As had all those "Is your Child Autistic" qizzes you see around. Although one told me he would write me a letter if it would get me needed services at school. Frustrates me because I hate that we as a society are quick to label introverted gifted kids as autistic who need intervention.
Last edited by bluemagic; 04/14/14 10:07 AM.
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Although one told me he would write me a letter if it would get me needed services at school. I think about this a lot. I think my own DD could benefit from some help (although she is functioning perfectly well in school and probably the school services aren't quite right, but ignore that for now). I still am not sure what, if any dx is really right for her, though. I believe part of the issue is overdiagnosis in the name of getting kids services. It's quite understandable, but what are the other consequences? What if we provided more services on an as-needed basis?
Last edited by ultramarina; 04/14/14 10:14 AM.
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Rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not creeping up so much as leaping up. New numbers just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that one in 68 children now has a diagnosis of ASD—a 30 percent increase in just two years. In 2002, about one in 150 children was considered autistic and in 1991 the figure was one in 500. All this just means that the Autism Dragnet is getting wider.
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My son was diagnosed aspergers when he was 3 (very early for that dx). It was such a relief to get help for him. Now, after years of therapy and a few more years with no services, I don't really think the diagnosis fits anymore. I would like to havea neuropsych battery done to really look at where his strengths and defecits are at this time. He tested very gifted on some brief tests to get into a program, and he is having significant handwriting problems. His math and nonverbal scores are extremely high.
I wonder what is the best way to present this in order to get a neuropsych battery approved by my hmo?
I know this wasn't exactly the point of origional article. But our experience being right near that line of high functioning autism and quirky smart kid has been interesting. Sometimes the dx has gotten us services we needed, and other times it has been used to pidgeonhole my son or deny services.
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