Advantages of a borderline autism DX?
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Anonymous
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My older child is definitely, without a doubt, autistic. Level 1, but it impacts every area of his life, especially school and relationships, and there are substantial impairments.
My younger child (in high school) has been diagnosed with ADHD, but I'm wondering if he might be autistic, under the much broader definition. But if his brother is level 1, he would be level .5. Yes, he's had social difficulties and yes he gets stuck on some things too much, but in general, life is much easier for him than for his brother. ADHD medication and basic accommodations have worked well for him, he gets good grades, and he (finally, after some very difficult years), has a group of friends, although he is most definitely out of the social mainstream. He needs an updated neuropsych anyway. What are the pros/cons of asking them to consider/evaluate for autism? |
Anonymous
I don't see benefits if your kid is not going to seek services or accommodations that would require an ASD diagnosis. But there might be some downside. When we were applying to high schools, our DC's ASD diagnosis was the kiss of death. DC was disqualified (categorically) from some schools even though (1) DC would have done just fine and (2) there were (undiagnosed) ASD kids in the school. Oftentimes, if you've had testing completed, or have a diagnosis, you have to provide it whether you want to or not. I'm not sure if this is an issue after high school, but it might be. So one thing to think about is whether an ASD diagnosis would disqualify your kid from a school or a job in the future. That might be illegal discrimination, but who is going to enforce the ADA under this administration? |
Anonymous
| Can’t you just not submit it ever? When applying and obviously not to obtain accommodations. They only last for three years for that anyhow. |
Anonymous
Sometimes no. With private schools, you have to disclose any testing. If you don't, and the school finds out, the school can find that you violated the contract. That's private high school; I'm not sure about other contexts. An ASD diagnosis is also generally disqualifying for military enlistment. |
Anonymous
| OP here. I'm not worried about his current high school kicking him out regardless of diagnosis and he won't share evaluation with college until after acceptance. He's already disqualified from military service because of taking ADHD meds after age 14 (and having asthma) and that's just fine with both of us. |
Anonymous
| I think the benefit is if your child struggles with social communication, him understanding that his brain works differently than many other people and he isn't deficient or a bad person for struggling with social cues could be really helpful |
Anonymous
DP Can you go do something other than abuse people online who are asking for help |
Anonymous
| I think there’s a lot of value in knowing, both for you and for your kid. One of my teens just got a very late diagnosis and they’ve expressed a lot of relief in knowing why they do certain things or have struggled in certain areas. |
Anonymous
It really doesn’t help. People with Autism are unaware of any social issues. Kids who are socially awkward, who people now call level 1 of a serious disability, know they have poor social skills. People have strengths and weaknesses. It’s not that unusual for high schools to have quite a few students who have no friends for various reasons. Your son has friends. Does well in school. |
Anonymous
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You are describing my kid! I think you should have him evaluated and see what the professionals think.
For my kid, he’s had three neuropsychiatric evaluations over the years and he did not get an ASD dx. But I definitely got the sense that one evaluator would have given him one had I wanted it. He ended up with a social communication disorder dx instead. His developmental ped feels strongly that he does not have autism. She knows him much better than the evaluators. In the end, I really wish there was a better way to diagnose other than rating scales. I was quite aware that had I answered those in a certain way he would get a dx. |
Anonymous
| I think you have to wonder how your DC will process the diagnosis. My teen (16) definitely feels a stigma w/ it and lets it define her. DX based on black/white thinking |
Anonymous
OP here. Definitely a concern. We've talked about autism positively his whole life because of his brother's diagnosis, but still -- his brother is frustrating in some ways related to autism so I don't know how that would play out. OTOH, as a pp said, it might be reassuring to have an explanation for why some things are hard (that understanding has been very helpful for the older kid). |
Anonymous
What system am I gaming? Please do explain. |
Anonymous
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My college kid would probably get a diagnosis if we asked the right person and we picked the right day. I just don’t see any real benefit in the diagnosis at this point. She is who she is and she knows who she is. We have tried to work on some specific things like sensory sensitivity that impact her social experience and health …. I do wish I’d done more of that but that’s a separate issue from the diagnosis. I can see the benefit if the kid is struggling with why they are a certain way I guess.
I do think it would likely need to be disclosed on certain applications like government clearances, bar applications, medical history etc. I just don’t know the implications of that. I’m also a little nervous that the aca rules about preexisting conditions might go away at some point and then everything you’ve ever been diagnosed with will be used against you. So I’m not sure about the “there’s no downside.” |
Anonymous
Don't let that be the driving factor. My kid who I posted about above - who does not have an autism diagnosis because he didnt quite meet the criteria - googled autism signs recently. |