Autism-World

Ask:

Daughter now just turned 3, diagnosed at age 2. Seems like her play skills have improved quite a bit in last year. She is starting to talk in 1 or 2 word bits. Don’t see much stimming at all.

Initially we had some hand flapping at times. Seems to be gone now. We have been following the DAN protocol, she has been undergoing DMSA chelation for the last 6 months. She now plays appropriately with toys. Still have communication issues, though. My wife seems to believe the autism diagnosis was valid and what we have been doing proactively has been working.

However, I just wonder if she was severely delayed and not autistic to begin with. I guess I am just hoping maybe they got it wrong last year based on the improvements I have seen in her this year.Can an autism diagnosis for a toddler actually be just a severe language delay. how often is it misdiagnosed?

Answer:

2 of my 3 children are autistic. The tell tale sign is an absolute failure to maintain any eye contact.

You’ll also notice problems in toilet training and in the areas of sense, such as touching. Most autistic children cringe at light touches as if in pain but a touch that we’d consider painful doesn’t seem to faze them at all. Autistic children are like sponges, they absorb everything but have problems with releasing that information. Age 2 is quite young for this diagnosis, as the fine motor skills and even gross motor skills are only starting to develop.

I’d recommend a specialist in this area, if you can find one. There are specific tests that can be done in order to verify the diagnosis. Most of all be patient. Patience will be a must in dealing with an autistic child. The eyes are another place to check for signs of autism. The look of an autistic child -as well as failing to maintain eye contact- is as though they are looking into space, that’s the only way I can think of to describe it. Speech is also usually delayed. Complete, legible sentences are usually absent. God bless and good luck.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Ask and answer.