CNN report -- Autism: Could high U.S. rate be due to over-diagnosis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

I am very informed and no, we cannot get the label removed from our health insurance. I cannot say about the school system as we do everything privately. We are avoiding the school system till our child progresses more.

You're right -- I was speaking only about school labels. I know that the autism medical label is a different ball game. Sorry you are going through this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

[Anonymous]

Paranoid is more like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

The public schools would not provide any supports to my child. And, if they did it would be a huge fight. We might as well spend the money we'd spend on and attorney or advocate on private school. We are at a small private, with a very small class size where my child is thriving. They are affordable. Why would we leave a good situation to throw our child into a large chaotic system they are not ready for. Where is your logic in that.

Diagnosis or not, in theory our insurance would cover services. If you want better coverage, get a better insurance plan. Stop being bitter toward those of us who are getting insurance help when we've worked hard for that coverage. Some of us think through these needs as a possibility when we take jobs, accept insurance, etc.

We will transfer to public when our private is no longer an option. Our school only goes has a few primary grades depending on enrollment, so that is why. After 8, my child will have progressed enough to be ok. You don't get it do you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Except it won't if he's truly not autistic. D'nile ain't just a river...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Except it won't if he's truly not autistic. D'nile ain't just a river...

If my child were autistic, no big deal. Why are you so insistent every child has autism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Except it won't if he's truly not autistic. D'nile ain't just a river...

Again, you are clueless. Why are you so hateful? You've been a total bully on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Not the poster you are replying to but stop making having an autism diagnosis into something terrible. There are parents on this thread whose kids are autistic unlike yours who was misdiagnosed who WILL carry the label throughout their school career.

What grade is your child in? If he isn't even in K yet, you really have no idea what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Not the poster you are replying to but stop making having an autism diagnosis into something terrible. There are parents on this thread whose kids are autistic unlike yours who was misdiagnosed who WILL carry the label throughout their school career.

What grade is your child in? If he isn't even in K yet, you really have no idea what you are talking about.

Parents want accurate diagnosis and labels for their kids so they get services targeted for their needs. On our late talking message boards, we have had several children's school careers derailed with a wrong autism educational label.

[Anonymous]

Wow, nothing like a little hyperbole. Folks, you can have a strong IEP no matter which designation it falls under. The people utterly consumed with the "label" seem more at risk of derailing their children's development than the school is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, nothing like a little hyperbole. Folks, you can have a strong IEP no matter which designation it falls under. The people utterly consumed with the "label" seem more at risk of derailing their children's development than the school is.

No hyperbole. Real-life experiences of many families I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, nothing like a little hyperbole. Folks, you can have a strong IEP no matter which designation it falls under. The people utterly consumed with the "label" seem more at risk of derailing their children's development than the school is.

No hyperbole. Real-life experiences of many families I know.

Well, the research says that parental involvement is a huge predictor for a child's success:
http://www.azed.gov/special-education/files/2014/05/f1.7-predictors.pdf
http://www.accessandequity.org/blog/archives/1318

So it's really not the label that matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, nothing like a little hyperbole. Folks, you can have a strong IEP no matter which designation it falls under. The people utterly consumed with the "label" seem more at risk of derailing their children's development than the school is.

No hyperbole. Real-life experiences of many families I know.

Well, the research says that parental involvement is a huge predictor for a child's success:
http://www.azed.gov/special-education/files/2014/05/f1.7-predictors.pdf
http://www.accessandequity.org/blog/archives/1318

So it's really not the label that matters.

Labels do matter. Great if you have not had negative experiences because of them but when docs read my child's records before seeing him they expect a very different child and initially treat him as such. Then, they get confused and it becomes a long discussion about the "autism" rather than why we were there. If your child is autistic, then yes, the label is appropriate but there is a stigma and sadly, my child has felt it more often than not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I've said b/f, I agree, the "estimated" number is probably higher than what the number actually is.

However, getting speech, OT, or behavioral therapy under an ASD diagnosis or something else will look the same regardless of what diagnosis it falls under.

And DUH, when kids get older it's easier to tease out an issue at age 6, 7, 8, or older than when a kid is a toddler or preschooler.

So if you don't want to add to the inflated estimate, refuse services under the ASD label and you'll be golden.

Or you can be informed, and have your child labeled with what is true -- in many cases, just a developmental delay. You get all the school-based services with that label as you do with the autism label. The rush to label every kid who is different autistic is terrible for all children, those with autism and those without.

You can keep the "developmental delay" label until age 8. Hardly rushing. But to all the parents with "misdiagnosed," no one ever forces you to accept services under an autism designation. That is completely your choice.

8 would be reasonable for us. You are solely thinking of school system. Not everyone gets school based services. Health insurance works differently. We can only see one doctor who made up his mind and thats it.

No, you don't have to accept services through your insurance either if you disagree with diagnosis. Just pay out of pocket for everything and never put in for reimbursement. Your choice.

We have paid out of pocket but between that and private school, it was unaffordable. Insurance help was the only way to make it work. And, if we didn't accept the therapy, our child would still have the diagnosis. Just because your refuse services does not remove a diagnosis. Our dev. ped does not talk to our providers or school so that is part of the issue.

Again, your choice. Stop blaming a "misdiagnosis" that allows you to use insurance to pay for services. There are those of us who don't have these things covered by insurance, so you must realize how petty it is.

Secondly, if you're avoiding public schools until after age 8 that's pretty ridiculous. You don't have to submit outside documentation to get an IEP and IME, schools don't actually read private reports. They'll do their own testing, so if your kid is truly not autistic then you should have nothing to worry about.

Again, you are clueless. I'd say it's very smart on her part.

Thank you. Why would someone want their child labeled through the school when it will be carried with them throughout their educational career.

Not the poster you are replying to but stop making having an autism diagnosis into something terrible. There are parents on this thread whose kids are autistic unlike yours who was misdiagnosed who WILL carry the label throughout their school career.

What grade is your child in? If he isn't even in K yet, you really have no idea what you are talking about.

He's in second and no, it isn't something terrible if it is accurate but if it is not accurate and your child is forced into unnecessary therapies, people make assumptions about their functioning, etc., then yes, its a problem.