Reply to best place for second opinion on ASD diagnosis?

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[quote=Anonymous]Has anyone had their child retested after a dubious ASD diagnosis? My child has many delays due to being born 15 weeks premature, including speech delays. She was tested for ASD a week after her 2nd birthday (so she was not yet 2 developmentally, adjusting for prematurity). They diagnosed her as severe ASD, below 1st percentile in expressive/ receptive language, and likely to be cognitively impaired and non-verbal. Obviously, I was devastated.

I had doubts about the diagnosis (by a psychologist who finished her training in 2017, and seems young and clueless about toddlers) from the beginning. A very experienced and reputable pediatric neurologist who saw her a week before she was tested for autism thought she only had an expressive language delay. Even at the time she was tested, she was talking in two-word phrases and making eye contact 60% of the time with her regular weekly speech therapist-- but she didn't make ANY eye contact or say a word to the new speech therapist she had never seen before during ASD testing. All other tests done by pediatrician, NICU follow-up team, early intervention, etc., show that she is cognitively normal (50th percentile) for her age, so the ASD test results indicating likely cognitive imapirment make no sense. When I questioned that, the psychologist who tested her for ASD said, "Well, she must have regressed since that other testing, which is an obvious sign of ASD." But tests done months AFTER ASD testing also show that she is cognitively normal, so this "regression" theory sounds like BS to me.

Within 3 months after her diagnosis, she is talking in sentences, doing imaginary play, discharged from OT because she doesn't actually have any sensory or fine motor issues, and her speech therapist (who worked at an autism school for 3 years) thinks she should be re-evaluated for ASD. She is very social with her twin sister, and asks for her as soon as she wakes up. No behavior problems or sleep problems. She is very sweet and affectionate. Yet, when I point this out, all of the (many) people who are making $$$ from treating her so-called autism say things like, "Talking doesn't mean she doesn't have autism," or "Autism looks different in girls," or (my personal favorite), "You need to understand that it's a spectrum."

Has anyone in a similar situation had their child retested? Where did you go, and what type of professional did you see? Early intervention has recommended both psychologists and neurologists to me, but the local options aren't great. I am in the Midwest (former DC resident), but willing to travel anywhere for the most accurate assessment. TIA!

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