This week I started reading a book called Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry M. Prizant which brought into attention how important early intervention and diagnosis of autism really is. Autism is much more common in today’s society than many people might think. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autism now affects about 1 in every 68 children. This is a startling considering the rate was estimated at 1 in 88 in 2007 and 1 in 1,000 just ten years ago.
With this staggering increase in diagnosis, comes the fear of misdiagnosing. Is this a genuine diagnosis or are we mislabeling the child? Recent studies have shown that in order to prevent labeling young children (ages 1-3) as “autistic” for the rest of their lives, a diagnosis is sometimes delayed. Instead of receiving an early diagnosis, about half of the young children referred for diagnosis are put on a “watch-and-wait” list. The reason for this is to ensure that, when these children get the diagnosis, it is more steady. Adding to this issue is the fact that Autism is a spectrum disorder. Individuals diagnosed with Autism may have symptoms that overlap with other disorders, and that does not provide for a comprehensive diagnosis.
Although, despite the possibility of a misdiagnosis, autism therapists and doctors agree that an early diagnosis can allow for an appropriate educational and treatment program. For the longest time it was believed that Autism couldn't be diagnosed until a child was 3 years of age or older. Today, even that's considered late. With advancing technology and new screening tools, doctors are able to identify Autism as early as 18 months of age or sometimes even younger. The faster a diagnosis is made the faster treatment can be provided.
This is a really informative post about the advantages and disadvantages of early diagnosis! You mentioned that autism can sometimes be mistaken for other disorders. Assuming the disorders have similar symptoms, if a child was misdiagnosed, would the treatment plan for the other disorders be somewhat similar to a treatment plan for autism? Or, would the treatment plan for the other disorder(s) be entirely unhelpful for autism?
ReplyDeleteThank you! That is a great question! I think it depends on the disorder and how similar it is on the spectrum of Autism. For example, if a child with Autism has mistakenly been diagnosed with ADHD, then something like cognitive therapy or psychotherapy could benefit the child if they had social and learning difficulties. Yet, overall it would still not be a complete treatment plan.
DeleteGreat post on the importance of early intervention! Can you share a little more about Dr. Barry M. Prizant's book? I would love to hear a little more about this. Could you also shed a little light on the process of diagnosing autism? What does this entail? Are testing resources readily available to parents?
ReplyDeleteThanks Ms. Kate! Dr. Barry M. Prizant's book is draw from his own experiences as a clinician working with children with autism, which makes it quite interesting. It brings to light ways of perceiving and managing autism from his experience and from the perspective of individuals with ASD he has worked with over time, and also the viewpoints of practitioners he has encountered. I'll incorporate all the different points Dr. Barry makes in my upcoming posts! As for the process of diagnosing autism, I discuss that in my next blog post.
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