Why is everything now just ASD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

OP, please don't buy into this paranoia. Doctors aren't receiving kickbacks for autism diagnoses. (Wakefield lost his medical license.) An autism diagnosis might help kids connect to services but developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists are evaluating a child as an individual. There are many tests. Sometimes it's not clear cut; sometimes you get conflicting diagnoses, but medical professionals can give you an independent evaluation.

If a professional works for the public school, it might be a different matter b/c they tend to funnel kids under autism b/c of how vaguely FAPE is written. If your kid should happen to receive services under this designation; it's not the same thing as a medical diagnosis. There is no shame in getting services--regardless of what designation under which it falls. Insurances in general have been more generous with providing reimbursement for certain services for ASD diagnoses than not, but it's primarily b/c autism is considered a medical diagnosis. They won't reimburse for things like dyslexia for example b/c it's not a "medical need."

But it's not a grand conspiracy between developmental pediatricians and insurers. (That's coming from a parent who's kid was diagnosed as Autistic and insists that it's MERLD.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

You make sure that whomever you take your child to is skilled in differential diagnosis. Ask when you make the appointment. Be honest and upfront that you are looking for the right diagnosis and your child presents in an unclear fashion. Ask about their diagnosing process, their experiences with children on the bubble of a diagnosis.

Too many people just try to get an appointment, any appointment, to get an answer that maybe totally inaccurate.

Also, think about joining a Facebook or other groups of girls with autism/Asperger's. See if the match is there when you listen to dozens of parents share their stories about their daughters. Also find out which doctors are best, who they recommend, who to avoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

OP, please don't buy into this paranoia. Doctors aren't receiving kickbacks for autism diagnoses. (Wakefield lost his medical license.) An autism diagnosis might help kids connect to services but developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists are evaluating a child as an individual. There are many tests. Sometimes it's not clear cut; sometimes you get conflicting diagnoses, but medical professionals can give you an independent evaluation.

If a professional works for the public school, it might be a different matter b/c they tend to funnel kids under autism b/c of how vaguely FAPE is written. If your kid should happen to receive services under this designation; it's not the same thing as a medical diagnosis. There is no shame in getting services--regardless of what designation under which it falls. Insurances in general have been more generous with providing reimbursement for certain services for ASD diagnoses than not, but it's primarily b/c autism is considered a medical diagnosis. They won't reimburse for things like dyslexia for example b/c it's not a "medical need."

But it's not a grand conspiracy between developmental pediatricians and insurers. (That's coming from a parent who's kid was diagnosed as Autistic and insists that it's MERLD.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

You make sure that whomever you take your child to is skilled in differential diagnosis. Ask when you make the appointment. Be honest and upfront that you are looking for the right diagnosis and your child presents in an unclear fashion. Ask about their diagnosing process, their experiences with children on the bubble of a diagnosis.

Too many people just try to get an appointment, any appointment, to get an answer that maybe totally inaccurate.

Also, think about joining a Facebook or other groups of girls with autism/Asperger's. See if the match is there when you listen to dozens of parents share their stories about their daughters. Also find out which doctors are best, who they recommend, who to avoid.

Thank you! This is great advice.

[Anonymous]

FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

You make sure that whomever you take your child to is skilled in differential diagnosis. Ask when you make the appointment. Be honest and upfront that you are looking for the right diagnosis and your child presents in an unclear fashion. Ask about their diagnosing process, their experiences with children on the bubble of a diagnosis.

Too many people just try to get an appointment, any appointment, to get an answer that maybe totally inaccurate.

Also, think about joining a Facebook or other groups of girls with autism/Asperger's. See if the match is there when you listen to dozens of parents share their stories about their daughters. Also find out which doctors are best, who they recommend, who to avoid.

Thank you! This is great advice.

OP might also want to check out a book called "Aspergirls" because ASDs can look different in girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

Op here. Part of the reason I'm not totally sold on ASD being a possibility for my daughter is her social skills are fine. She doesn't struggle at all there- lots of friends, participates in activities. She misses unspoken things like passive aggression and sarcasm (the pragmatics issue) but other than that, does not struggle at all with social skills or in social situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

You make sure that whomever you take your child to is skilled in differential diagnosis. Ask when you make the appointment. Be honest and upfront that you are looking for the right diagnosis and your child presents in an unclear fashion. Ask about their diagnosing process, their experiences with children on the bubble of a diagnosis.

Too many people just try to get an appointment, any appointment, to get an answer that maybe totally inaccurate.

Also, think about joining a Facebook or other groups of girls with autism/Asperger's. See if the match is there when you listen to dozens of parents share their stories about their daughters. Also find out which doctors are best, who they recommend, who to avoid.

Thank you! This is great advice.

OP might also want to check out a book called "Aspergirls" because ASDs can look different in girls.

Thanks, I'll look into it! I did read some studies on girls with ASD after the SLP brought it up and a couple things seemed like her (anxiety and the pragmatic language stuff) but not all. This will help me flesh it out a bit more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Money is fueling the rise in diagnosis, plain and simple. If a doctor codes it as autism, insurance pays. In some states, it's like a golden ticket to services. If they don't, all those therapists out there don't make money. And parents curtail getting speech therapy, OT, and certainly ABA because the costs become overwhelming. So parents take a diagnosis they don't agree with because it gets their child some therapy.

But there's a very dark side to accepting an inaccurate diagnosis just to get services. Would you, for example, accept a cognitive impairment diagnosis for a child who is not cognitively impaired? Because hey, they'll pay for services then!


You want a differential diagnosis, OP. That puts EVERY diagnosis on the table, as opposed to using a checklist to just confirm their preconceived notions.

OP here. I do agree that I don't care what the label is AS LONG as it's accurate. Whatever it is will clearly be something she will have to deal with her whole life, so whether it's X, Y or Z doesn't particularly matter to me as long as we know what it is and how to help her with that. But how can you really know? I'm not a doctor, let alone a neuropsychologist who studies ASD. So if my gut tells me my child doesn't have ASD, but they say she does, how do I know if one of us is mistaken? Don't you kind of just have to take their diagnosis at face value and work with that?

OP, please don't buy into this paranoia. Doctors aren't receiving kickbacks for autism diagnoses. (Wakefield lost his medical license.) An autism diagnosis might help kids connect to services but developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists are evaluating a child as an individual. There are many tests. Sometimes it's not clear cut; sometimes you get conflicting diagnoses, but medical professionals can give you an independent evaluation.

If a professional works for the public school, it might be a different matter b/c they tend to funnel kids under autism b/c of how vaguely FAPE is written. If your kid should happen to receive services under this designation; it's not the same thing as a medical diagnosis. There is no shame in getting services--regardless of what designation under which it falls. Insurances in general have been more generous with providing reimbursement for certain services for ASD diagnoses than not, but it's primarily b/c autism is considered a medical diagnosis. They won't reimburse for things like dyslexia for example b/c it's not a "medical need."

But it's not a grand conspiracy between developmental pediatricians and insurers. (That's coming from a parent who's kid was diagnosed as Autistic and insists that it's MERLD.)

It's not paranoia -- it's a fact of life that diagnosis follows the money trail. Developmental pediatricians often just give an autism label with very little testing. I know multiple people this has happened to -- and the peds tend to think they are doing the parents a favor, because with the ASD dx brings insurance coverage.

When money is involved, no grand conspiracy is needed. Most everyone is incentivized to go on the path that gets money for services for the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

Op here. Part of the reason I'm not totally sold on ASD being a possibility for my daughter is her social skills are fine. She doesn't struggle at all there- lots of friends, participates in activities. She misses unspoken things like passive aggression and sarcasm (the pragmatics issue) but other than that, does not struggle at all with social skills or in social situations.

Autism at its core is a severe social communication disorder.

Have you considered Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

Op here. Part of the reason I'm not totally sold on ASD being a possibility for my daughter is her social skills are fine. She doesn't struggle at all there- lots of friends, participates in activities. She misses unspoken things like passive aggression and sarcasm (the pragmatics issue) but other than that, does not struggle at all with social skills or in social situations.

Autism at its core is a severe social communication disorder.

Have you considered Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder?

No because I have not heard of it. So far, because she's been too young for a NP, our only diagnosis is the developmental coordination disorder and dysgraphia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

Op here. Part of the reason I'm not totally sold on ASD being a possibility for my daughter is her social skills are fine. She doesn't struggle at all there- lots of friends, participates in activities. She misses unspoken things like passive aggression and sarcasm (the pragmatics issue) but other than that, does not struggle at all with social skills or in social situations.

It doesn't matter. If she needs help with peer relationships, she can do the program. Most kids have an ASD diagnosis, but many don't. We didn't and still did the program. Many SN schools use a social curriculum as part of their approach. We did the Ivymount social skills group b/c it comes with parenting classes. The parenting approaches are effective for all kinds of executive functioning issues--ASD, ADHD, and DCD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not paranoia -- it's a fact of life that diagnosis follows the money trail. Developmental pediatricians often just give an autism label with very little testing. I know multiple people this has happened to -- and the peds tend to think they are doing the parents a favor, because with the ASD dx brings insurance coverage.

When money is involved, no grand conspiracy is needed. Most everyone is incentivized to go on the path that gets money for services for the child.

Developmental pediatricians aren't incentivized to give autism diagnoses. If it's a fact, please cite an actual reputable source. You can't.

You're just pathetic as well as paranoid. Please get some counseling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, Ivymount Outreach also has a social skills group just for girls.

Op here. Part of the reason I'm not totally sold on ASD being a possibility for my daughter is her social skills are fine. She doesn't struggle at all there- lots of friends, participates in activities. She misses unspoken things like passive aggression and sarcasm (the pragmatics issue) but other than that, does not struggle at all with social skills or in social situations.

It doesn't matter. If she needs help with peer relationships, she can do the program. Most kids have an ASD diagnosis, but many don't. We didn't and still did the program. Many SN schools use a social curriculum as part of their approach. We did the Ivymount social skills group b/c it comes with parenting classes. The parenting approaches are effective for all kinds of executive functioning issues--ASD, ADHD, and DCD.

Sorry, this should say, even if she doesn't need help...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not paranoia -- it's a fact of life that diagnosis follows the money trail. Developmental pediatricians often just give an autism label with very little testing. I know multiple people this has happened to -- and the peds tend to think they are doing the parents a favor, because with the ASD dx brings insurance coverage.

When money is involved, no grand conspiracy is needed. Most everyone is incentivized to go on the path that gets money for services for the child.

Developmental pediatricians aren't incentivized to give autism diagnoses. If it's a fact, please cite an actual reputable source. You can't.

You're just pathetic as well as paranoid. Please get some counseling.

No, I'm accurate and realistic. First of all, incentivized doesn't just mean money. Got a dictionary handy? No? Here's a definition from Oxford:


in·cen·tiv·ize
[in?sen(t)??v?z]
VERB

provide (someone) with an incentive for doing something

In this case, doctors want to get insurance coverage for therapy for kids that come to see them.



Here's one off the top of my head example:

http://www.unstrange.com/reviews_timemag.html

TIME Magazine


Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007
What Autism Epidemic?
By Claudia Wallis

MORE HELP, LESS STIGMA As services have become more available for kids with autism, more parents are seeking a diagnosis they would have shunned 30 years ago, when psychiatrists still blamed autism on chilly "refrigerator" mothers. Doctors are also more willing to apply the diagnosis to help a patient. "I'll call a kid a zebra if it will get him the educational services I think he needs," National Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist Judith Rapoport told Grinker.