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

[Anonymous]

Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

[Anonymous]

Well personally I had this great house in the city that I could walk to work from, and a smart and incredibly sweet and kind kid who I love beyond reason, and one day I woke up and thought, you know what our family needs? An autism diagnosis! So that it could become clear that the wonderful DCPS professionals who were doing their very best for him (and asking us to stay) couldn't give him what he really needed, and we could move to the suburbs and a $30k private school and an hour plus commute. I thought about spending that money instead on a lawyer (although I have that particular degree myself) so that I could force DCPS to create a first-class HFA program (which BTW they could have done for 5-7 kids entirely with the income tax I used to pay), but then I thought--hey, that would make too much sense. Maybe if I do the crazy thing instead then someday Ed Norton will play me in the movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

No, my child has language issues and is not ADHD or ADD. That is a huge generalization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

Huge generalization. You obviously know jack about developmental delays.

Thanks again, OP for pot stirring with a almost two year old report. We have lots of uniformed coming over from Gen Par.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

Huge generalization. You obviously know jack about developmental delays.

Thanks again, OP for pot stirring with a almost two year old report. We have lots of uniformed coming over from Gen Par.

Story is brand new, not old. And several news organizations are reporting it.

[Anonymous]

You would think that along with this explosion in diagnoses that schools would have great educational programming for HFA kids. They simply do not.

The common learning issues that many of our kids face are still very poorly understood and handled by teachers and school administrators.

It's very disheartening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

No, my child has language issues and is not ADHD or ADD. That is a huge generalization.

"


In my parents of language delayed children group, most of the kids have at least once been wrongly assumed to have autism, either by friends, family, school personnel or the medical community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You would think that along with this explosion in diagnoses that schools would have great educational programming for HFA kids. They simply do not.

The common learning issues that many of our kids face are still very poorly understood and handled by teachers and school administrators.

It's very disheartening.

+1000. Especially 2E dc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would think that along with this explosion in diagnoses that schools would have great educational programming for HFA kids. They simply do not.

The common learning issues that many of our kids face are still very poorly understood and handled by teachers and school administrators.

It's very disheartening.

+1000. Especially 2E dc.

Same in the LD community

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If people are trying to get kids diagnosed with autism just for the so-called wonderful services, they'd be better off pursuing. Some other strategy! The services for high functioning kids are abysmal and are very hard to get. If you like spending money on advocates and outside evaluators who don't take insurance just to game the system, you are wacked!

THIS.
Our DS had an ASD diagnosis (and re-confirmed) for a year. We provided this to his school. No special school services or covered therapies came his way. All very hard to get. All of it. Everyone recognized the problems, but solutions did not come free or easy. He continued to be treated just the same as everyone else (since he was bright, he surely knew better on how to act, etc.)

ASD diagnosis = glide path to precious school resources and therapies?
You have to be kidding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This? This right here is why 1 in 68 kids have "autism" now in the US. But not in Canada or Germany or any other industrialized wealthy nation.

I could care less if ASD is over diagnosed as long as these kids are getting the help they need.

Totally agree with the "1 out of 68" poster. I even had a psychiatrist recently tell me "too bad he's not autistic, then you could get more services"!!

Had a girlfriend (although a pretty dense one at that) once tell me that when we got to Disneyland to just tell them that DS had autism so we could move to the front of the line for all the rides!

These people are ignorant at best. Get some new friends pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

Huge generalization. You obviously know jack about developmental delays.

Thanks again, OP for pot stirring with a almost two year old report. We have lots of uniformed coming over from Gen Par.

Story is brand new, not old. And several news organizations are reporting it.

No it's not. You linked to "recent" content from CNN's website that linked to a news story from a year ago. Learn how the internet works.

The study was released in March 2014: http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0327-autism-spectrum-disorder.html

It's OLD news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the majority of kids being diagnosed with autism and pushing up the diagnosis numbers to 1 in 68 don't have language delays and most likely would get an ADHD diagnosis if not autism.

Huge generalization. You obviously know jack about developmental delays.

Thanks again, OP for pot stirring with a almost two year old report. We have lots of uniformed coming over from Gen Par.

Story is brand new, not old. And several news organizations are reporting it.

No it's not. You linked to "recent" content from CNN's website that linked to a news story from a year ago. Learn how the internet works.

The study was released in March 2014: http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0327-autism-spectrum-disorder.html

It's OLD news.

Too bad you didn't read the article, which has the followup information in it about contacting the parents after the diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well personally I had this great house in the city that I could walk to work from, and a smart and incredibly sweet and kind kid who I love beyond reason, and one day I woke up and thought, you know what our family needs? An autism diagnosis! So that it could become clear that the wonderful DCPS professionals who were doing their very best for him (and asking us to stay) couldn't give him what he really needed, and we could move to the suburbs and a $30k private school and an hour plus commute. I thought about spending that money instead on a lawyer (although I have that particular degree myself) so that I could force DCPS to create a first-class HFA program (which BTW they could have done for 5-7 kids entirely with the income tax I used to pay), but then I thought--hey, that would make too much sense. Maybe if I do the crazy thing instead then someday Ed Norton will play me in the movie.

LOL. Yeah, one day I turned to my husband and said, "We have waaaaay too much money. You know what would be fun? Let's spend over 20,000 a year on speech therapy, occupational therapy, tutors and a special camp! Heck, why don't I go part time so we can have less money coming in and I can pretend I'm a taxi driver an chauffer and work on my tutoring skills too! It would be really fun to try to get some reimbursement form our insurance company. I crave talking to useless people on the phone and filing appeals because it makes me feel alive! Oh and I have always wanted to be known as a pain in the ass parent and now I have my chance! I can fight for the most basic accommodations and I could kill off a forest of trees collecting reams of papers with the word IEP on them. Who needs to do home repairs and maintenance when I can spend all that money on having strangers put my child on strange swings?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well personally I had this great house in the city that I could walk to work from, and a smart and incredibly sweet and kind kid who I love beyond reason, and one day I woke up and thought, you know what our family needs? An autism diagnosis! So that it could become clear that the wonderful DCPS professionals who were doing their very best for him (and asking us to stay) couldn't give him what he really needed, and we could move to the suburbs and a $30k private school and an hour plus commute. I thought about spending that money instead on a lawyer (although I have that particular degree myself) so that I could force DCPS to create a first-class HFA program (which BTW they could have done for 5-7 kids entirely with the income tax I used to pay), but then I thought--hey, that would make too much sense. Maybe if I do the crazy thing instead then someday Ed Norton will play me in the movie.

LOL. Yeah, one day I turned to my husband and said, "We have waaaaay too much money. You know what would be fun? Let's spend over 20,000 a year on speech therapy, occupational therapy, tutors and a special camp! Heck, why don't I go part time so we can have less money coming in and I can pretend I'm a taxi driver an chauffer and work on my tutoring skills too! It would be really fun to try to get some reimbursement form our insurance company. I crave talking to useless people on the phone and filing appeals because it makes me feel alive! Oh and I have always wanted to be known as a pain in the ass parent and now I have my chance! I can fight for the most basic accommodations and I could kill off a forest of trees collecting reams of papers with the word IEP on them. Who needs to do home repairs and maintenance when I can spend all that money on having strangers put my child on strange swings?"

Exactly... hour house is a hot mess. We could have had a much larger or nicer house had we not spent so much on therapy, evaluations, travel and more. And, I could have worked to supplement my husband's income.