Early Autism Diagnosis

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This morning, I came across an interesting article. It was titled "Recognizing signs of autism: How a late diagnosis could delay crucial intervention". It was about a girl who was not diagnosed as autistic until the age of 9 and the perhaps unintended consequences of receiving a late diagnosis.

As an Aspie, a person with Asperger's syndrome, I can agree with some of what is said but I disagree on one main point. The key word is "Intervention". If the intervention is ineffective or even damaging to the child, then early detection can be counter productive.

Intervention is viewed as forms of speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy or behavioral therapy. I can probably agree that the first three forms of therapy may be productive. But the fourth form, "behavioral therapy", I disagree with. Generally the main pathway for this form of therapy is drug therapy. And I adamently disagree with this approach. It only temporarily offers a solution to behavioral problems that can evolve into stress related disorders later in life. It is based on the wrong premise that the issues arise from behavior rather than the unique brains and thought processes of Aspies.

If you are an Aspie or High Functioning Autistic, you might take a glance on the article and let me know your perceptions. Give your two cents worth! Recognizing signs of autism: How a late diagnosis could delay crucial intervention

The following elements of this article may be of interest to parents with young children that present Aspie traits:

“It may take some time to be able to notice that this child is acting differently from their peers,” said Robins, who also leads the Research Program in Early Detection and Intervention for ASD at Drexel. “This might be especially true for children who have some strengths, such as early verbal skills or really strong problem-solving abilities, because they may be able to use those streams to mask or hide their challenges, and in those cases, the symptoms will be even harder to measure until the social demands increase and they can no longer compensate with those verbal or problem-solving abilities.”

[In the U.S.] Some parents may not know that under the Child Find mandate, schools are legally required to find children who have disabilities and need services. It covers every child from birth through age 21 and is part of a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which protects the rights of students with disabilities. Under the IDEA law, states must provide all eligible children with a free and appropriate public education that meets their unique individual needs.

“If your child is diagnosed or even if you're just concerned, you can contact your [school] district and they will do that evaluation,” Kathleen VanTol, an associate professor of education at Dordt University told Fox News. “They will do a global evaluation and determine why your child is struggling and then provide that early intervention.”

Specialists may start out by conducting a developmental interview and direct assessment. “The developmental interview is with parents and focuses on understanding a child’s early language, social communication, play skills and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors,” Michelle Lee, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health told Fox News.

Lee said a direct assessment includes interview questions about the child’s understanding of emotional experiences and social interactions. Screening procedures have advanced significantly over the years. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, Third Edition (GARS-3) are the most widely used tools for the assessment of ASD. They can help parents identify the struggles their children are facing so they can seek appropriate help, whether that be in the form of speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy or behavioral therapy.

But again Autism is not a disease or a defect that needs to be cured. There is no cure. It is a difference that should be allowed to develop properly and nurtured. So early detection only becomes important if the proposed therapy is effective in helping Aspies.

I believe an early diagnosis is essential----because autism is a neurological disorder and the younger a person is, the more "plastic" the brain is.

A person's neurological system is more amenable to interventions at age 2----just like a person is more amenable to learning all aspects of a "second" language at age 2 than at, say, age 8.

It might be said that "human relations" is a "second language" to a person with autism.

I recently checked the legal situation regarding a diagnosis in my country. I learned that some insurances can deny to insure me, fees go up, and in case I wanted to get a government job, I'd have to disclose a diagnosis to the institution I'm applying at (and there's a chance they will choose a different applicant and there's not much I could do then).

so: whether or not to get a diagnosis at all is a thing the parents need to consider wisely. at least in europe.