Page Title
| Copyright © 2008 J2Tyco Enterprises. All Rights Reserved. Arizona Autism Support is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization Tax ID # 20-5978189 |
| The Road to Diagnosing Autism |
Doing something about that "gut feeling" that something is different
Each person must make whatever decision makes the most sense for them and their family, Sometimes we worry that we aren't qualified to
make any decisions at all! This just comes with the title of parent. As a parent you also know your child best. If you are concerned that your
child may have a delay (not necessarily autism) but want to check on your child's development please visit FIRST SIGNS a website dedicated
to helping parents. If your concerns continue to linger we can NOT emphasize enough how EARLY intervention will make ALL the difference
in the world for your child. From a mild speech delay to full blown autism any child that is not hitting their developmental milestones will only
flourish in an early intervention program.
Unfortunately at this time in the world with autism in it, most general pediatricians are still not as up to speed on all of the signs to look for.
Many will simply say things such as “Boys develop slower than girls”, or our favorite “Your child will grow out of it. Just wait and see.”
Early intervention is the most important thing you can do for a child with development delays, including autism.
So if you have any suspicions that a child or your child may be delayed we recommend you seek out a developmental specialist such as a child
psychologist. We would equate this to, if you were having a heart problem you would seek out the opinion of a doctor that specializes in
hearts and not just the opinion of your general doctor that handles such a large variety of issues.
The purpose of your visit should be to site your suspicions and specific delays or problems your child may have so that they may receive early
intervention.
If your child is under the age of 3 you can also refer your child to the Arizona Early Intervention Program. ( How do I refer my child to
AZEIP? ) AZEIP will then contact you and will do an assessment (basically through observation and questionnaires they will determine what
activities will help your child and family, and whether or not your child needs further evaluation.) This can be a good starting point for some
families.
A Diagnosis
If you suspect that your child may in fact have autism it is best to receive an official autism diagnosis. This may sound odd to hear us say but
there are many reasons behind why we state this. Throughout this page you have read the words early intervention and we simply can not
emphasize this enough. In children with autism because of the fact that most cases are not detected until after the age of 18 months, valuable
learning windows are already shrinking. Child development research has established that the rate of human learning and development is most
rapid in the preschool years. Timing of intervention becomes particularly important when a child runs the risk of missing an opportunity to
learn during a state of maximum readiness. If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest readiness are not taken advantage of, a child
may have difficulty learning a particular skill at a later time. Karnes and Lee (1978) have noted that "only through early identification and
appropriate programming can children develop their potential" (p. 1).
In Arizona there is an actual Early Intervention Program that is federally funded to help children under the age of 3 not miss these crucial
learning stages. It is called AZEIP and more info can be found at ( http://www.de.state.az.us/azeip/ ) A diagnosis is NOT necessary to be
eligible for the AZEIP program. However at the age of 3 AZEIP ends and transitions to the school system. If your child's delays do not
qualify them for the starting early preschool then they will not receive any more services until they go to kindergarten. However if your child
has a diagnosis or even an "at risk of having" diagnosis they can qualify for state services through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (
http://www.de.state.az.us/ddd/ ) and a diagnosis is taken into consideration when considering eligibility for preschool programs.
Diagnosis Jargon
You may want to familiarize yourself with some developmental delays and all of their lingo that may get given to you at time of any diagnosis.
A good resource for this on the web is Developmental Delay Resources
An actual Autism Diagnosis
There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual's communication,
behavior, and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, various
medical tests may be ordered to rule out or identify other possible causes of the symptoms being exhibited.
Read this Best Practices Guide in Diagnosing Autism
"Medical tests"
The following are suggested medical tests to have done to rule out other possible problems. Results from these tests can also help determine
the treatment routes you chose for your child:
Therapy Evaluations
Many children with autism require therapy in the areas of speech, physical(gross motor) and occupational(fine motor and sensory) You should
seek evaluations for these main therapy approaches:
Direct Observation
It is essential that the process of diagnosing autism and other related disorders include the assessment and evaluation of a child's development,
communication and social skills. Many Standardized Instruments can be used to collect data on the direct observation these include:
Each person must make whatever decision makes the most sense for them and their family, Sometimes we worry that we aren't qualified to
make any decisions at all! This just comes with the title of parent. As a parent you also know your child best. If you are concerned that your
child may have a delay (not necessarily autism) but want to check on your child's development please visit FIRST SIGNS a website dedicated
to helping parents. If your concerns continue to linger we can NOT emphasize enough how EARLY intervention will make ALL the difference
in the world for your child. From a mild speech delay to full blown autism any child that is not hitting their developmental milestones will only
flourish in an early intervention program.
Unfortunately at this time in the world with autism in it, most general pediatricians are still not as up to speed on all of the signs to look for.
Many will simply say things such as “Boys develop slower than girls”, or our favorite “Your child will grow out of it. Just wait and see.”
Early intervention is the most important thing you can do for a child with development delays, including autism.
So if you have any suspicions that a child or your child may be delayed we recommend you seek out a developmental specialist such as a child
psychologist. We would equate this to, if you were having a heart problem you would seek out the opinion of a doctor that specializes in
hearts and not just the opinion of your general doctor that handles such a large variety of issues.
The purpose of your visit should be to site your suspicions and specific delays or problems your child may have so that they may receive early
intervention.
If your child is under the age of 3 you can also refer your child to the Arizona Early Intervention Program. ( How do I refer my child to
AZEIP? ) AZEIP will then contact you and will do an assessment (basically through observation and questionnaires they will determine what
activities will help your child and family, and whether or not your child needs further evaluation.) This can be a good starting point for some
families.
A Diagnosis
If you suspect that your child may in fact have autism it is best to receive an official autism diagnosis. This may sound odd to hear us say but
there are many reasons behind why we state this. Throughout this page you have read the words early intervention and we simply can not
emphasize this enough. In children with autism because of the fact that most cases are not detected until after the age of 18 months, valuable
learning windows are already shrinking. Child development research has established that the rate of human learning and development is most
rapid in the preschool years. Timing of intervention becomes particularly important when a child runs the risk of missing an opportunity to
learn during a state of maximum readiness. If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest readiness are not taken advantage of, a child
may have difficulty learning a particular skill at a later time. Karnes and Lee (1978) have noted that "only through early identification and
appropriate programming can children develop their potential" (p. 1).
In Arizona there is an actual Early Intervention Program that is federally funded to help children under the age of 3 not miss these crucial
learning stages. It is called AZEIP and more info can be found at ( http://www.de.state.az.us/azeip/ ) A diagnosis is NOT necessary to be
eligible for the AZEIP program. However at the age of 3 AZEIP ends and transitions to the school system. If your child's delays do not
qualify them for the starting early preschool then they will not receive any more services until they go to kindergarten. However if your child
has a diagnosis or even an "at risk of having" diagnosis they can qualify for state services through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (
http://www.de.state.az.us/ddd/ ) and a diagnosis is taken into consideration when considering eligibility for preschool programs.
Diagnosis Jargon
You may want to familiarize yourself with some developmental delays and all of their lingo that may get given to you at time of any diagnosis.
A good resource for this on the web is Developmental Delay Resources
An actual Autism Diagnosis
There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual's communication,
behavior, and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, various
medical tests may be ordered to rule out or identify other possible causes of the symptoms being exhibited.
Read this Best Practices Guide in Diagnosing Autism
"Medical tests"
The following are suggested medical tests to have done to rule out other possible problems. Results from these tests can also help determine
the treatment routes you chose for your child:
- Hearing Test
- EEG
- Metabolic Screening
- GeneticTesting (rule out fragile x and high chromosome resolution)
Therapy Evaluations
Many children with autism require therapy in the areas of speech, physical(gross motor) and occupational(fine motor and sensory) You should
seek evaluations for these main therapy approaches:
- Speech Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
Direct Observation
It is essential that the process of diagnosing autism and other related disorders include the assessment and evaluation of a child's development,
communication and social skills. Many Standardized Instruments can be used to collect data on the direct observation these include:
What is Autism?
Be prepared for some reading, but don't overwhelm yourself with information. Take a break and sign up for our online support group. Get in
touch with others that can help you through the mazes of resources.
Then read about autism here
Be prepared for some reading, but don't overwhelm yourself with information. Take a break and sign up for our online support group. Get in
touch with others that can help you through the mazes of resources.
Then read about autism here
I've got my diagnosis, I know what autism is, now what?
Let yourself feel all of the feelings you are having about this diagnosis. Go ahead and feel grief, denial, anger, guilt, depression and
bargaining. Join our support group so you don't have to do it all alone.
Just know you will eventually get to the acceptance stage. It will be in this stage that you will be the most effective for your family and your
child. This is the stage that Arizona Autism Support member Kim Crook lovingly calls the "Get over it" part. Kim is also the author of "12
Things I Wish I Knew When My Child Was Diagnosed With Autism" which can be read here It is a wonderful parents perspective that may
help you with some of your questions.
Getting services for my child
Let yourself feel all of the feelings you are having about this diagnosis. Go ahead and feel grief, denial, anger, guilt, depression and
bargaining. Join our support group so you don't have to do it all alone.
Just know you will eventually get to the acceptance stage. It will be in this stage that you will be the most effective for your family and your
child. This is the stage that Arizona Autism Support member Kim Crook lovingly calls the "Get over it" part. Kim is also the author of "12
Things I Wish I Knew When My Child Was Diagnosed With Autism" which can be read here It is a wonderful parents perspective that may
help you with some of your questions.
Getting services for my child
| Looking for a Dr. to perform a comprehensive autism evaluation? Click here for a listing of diagnosticians in AZ |
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