to tell or not to tell

[Anonymous]

we have an appoint schedule for a second opinion. DC was diagnosed to be within the spectrum a few months back, he was seen by a developmental ped. now we are touching base with Hopkins and he'll be seen by a neurologist. at the first appoint we felt rush, have so many questions now. our reg pediatrician urged us to get a second opinion, think he is in more denial... but we have seen enormous progress within a few weeks since we started the early intervention. we finally got the 1st diagnosis in written, and we do not agree in a couple of things, which made us request a new appoint.

so do we tell the Drs at Hopkins that we were seeing late last year and that he had a diagnosis, or do we start from 0?

[Anonymous]

I would put it all out on the table but be clear about the progress that you've seen.

[Anonymous]

depends on which neurologist you go to. Our neurologist is quite frankly not very interested in the fact that my son has autism, he only treats him for epilepsy. Did you make sure to schedule an appointment with one who specializes in autism? A neurologist typically does not evaluate the child the same way as a developmental pediatrician. At least not ours.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it matters too much what you do, but I might disclose everything in the history, including (if this is true) that the traits that led to the initial dx appear to be quickly subsiding with the intervention.

An autism dx anyway is tricky and not particularly meaningful on its own, particularly if it is early in the game...except that it might get some services paid for. The neurologist will have his/her own take on things.


You have right now an effective game plan and your intervention is working. Life is good, I think.

[Anonymous]

Get a second opinion with Dr. Stanley Greenspan. I can't say enough about this man. He's a Harvard Medical School graduate and a psychiatrist. This man saved my son!! My son was flapping, staring at lights, had sensory issues, was socially awkward. Now 1.5 years later, he does none of these things. We are still in therapy but he's a different kid today.He is in Bethesda and you can google him.