Autism Diagnosis
Making an autism diagnosis can be very difficult as the signs and degree of autism can be different in each child reviewed. Some children at the higher end of the spectrum for assessing autism can take many years before they are effectively diagnosed. Another issue in correct autism diagnosis is that there are a large number of factors to be considered, this article will seek to outline the major factors which are considered.
Doctors and physicians consider an autism checklist of the main factors which must be observed before autism is considered as a possible diagnosis. The main elements in the autism checklist are non-existent or tenuous relationships with friends, focusing on one item or subject for a long period, weak intra personal communication skills and compulsive adherence to fixed routines and behaviours. If the physician notices these signs he or she will want to conduct any further evaluation of the child to assess the autism is a factor. And important part of the further evaluation involves consultation and questioning of the child’s parents and carers including other people who have frequent contact such as teachers. This could include completion of a questionnaire in addition to answering verbal questions so it is quite in order for you to be sent a questionnaire for you all for your child’s carers to complete. Upon receipt of the completed forms the doctor will compare these and look for similar observations in other circumstances. The consensus of responses suggesting some behavioural problem will lead to further tests being conducted.
The fact that your child may not have reached a certain developmental milestone is not a cause to suspect autism. Children develop at different rates and it is wrong to overly concern yourself with the fact that they cannot do a certain thing when Little Johnny down the street seems very capable at this. This is why the doctor uses a standard autism checklist, they want to deal in facts and assess whether the answers from parents and carers are consistent with be laid down criteria for suspecting autism in a child. Many children who are late developers have no underlying problems and turn out to be entirely normal with the passage of time.
An autism assessment and subsequent diagnosis is based upon many factors and there is no one element that can be used to definitively say that a child has autism. You should expect a number of appointments with various medical professionals to consider and rule out other similar conditions which could be the underlying cause of your child’s behaviour. One example is that of a child who does not respond to questions may actually have a hearing problem, it is therefore necessary to rule out ear problems before a diagnosis proceeds to autism.
The eventual autism diagnosis is reached by a team of professionals including your family doctor, speech therapists, psychologists and neurologists and possibly a psychiatrist. Each member of the team will review your child and their behaviour from a different perspective and it is when all these differing views on brought together that a more definitive assessment can be reached. It is then important that representatives of the group meet with the parents to discuss the final evaluation. Whether autism is suspected or ruled out it is important that a medical treatment plan is developed to help your child irregardless of the actual diagnosis.
As stated every child is different and each will exhibit different autism symptoms at varying levels. As a result some children are easy to diagnose and others represent a more complex problem in coming to a complete autism diagnoses. The diagnosis is only the first step, the most important element in the assessment is the development of a well thought out treatment plan and the effective implementation of the plan to help to improve your autistic child is future life. At the present time there is no cure for autism however as knowledge has improved there are many treatments and procedures available which can help to lessen the impact of these symptoms and help your child lead a more normal life.