Reply to best place for second opinion on ASD diagnosis?

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Reply to "best place for second opinion on ASD diagnosis?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think it probably doesn’t matter, as a practical matter, if she has ASD or not. So I would wait to reassess until she’s a little older. You may never get a definitive answer or unanimous agreement. But some of the things you mention as counter-evidence, like being social and affectionate, are common in children with ASD, so you also may have a skewed sense of what the current diagnostic criteria are. [/quote]

Of course a correct diagnosis matters.  Nobody has unlimited time and money for therapies; so OP needs to focus on what is actually needed, which is informed by the diagnosis.  Also, kids with ASD are not "social and affectionate' in the same way NT kids are.  Social deficits are core ASD deficits.  You can't get an ASD diagnosis without serious impairment in that area.  So, if OP is observing that her child has similar social skills as her twin, then that's pretty important evidence to consider.  [/quote]

I’m not sure it does. Therapies are determined by the child’s needS. I have a kid with ASD and he is socially motivated and cuddly (or was—he’s a teen now). Deficits in pragmatics aren’t the same thing as not being social or wanting to connect. I find that people unfamiliar with ASD often expect ASD kids to be asocial and cold, but that isn’t what I see in my son or his friends, and I think OP’s description of her dad reflects an inaccurate perception of ASD.[/quote]

I agree that a child's needs should drive the therapies chosen.  I also think that a child's personality should also be taken into account.  When my DH and I saw ABA in action, we didn't think it was appropriate for our DC with ASD, so we didn't pursue it.  Instead, we sent our DC who loved school and did better with structure to a full-day, fully-structured, developmentally appropriate, year-round preschool program that integrated DC's IEP services into the school.  We added private speech and OT as it was needed and to address specific needs.  We feel like generally, we did a good job because DC's current elementary school placement is way above where the public school system thought DC would be a few months after DC got an IEP (post-IFSP).  DC is also doing much better than the developmental pediatrician from KKI who diagnosed DC with ASD told us DC would do.

In summary, if you feel that the therapies your child is getting aren't helpful, stop doing them. You won't be a bad parent for stopping therapies that "everyone" thinks work for ASD kids.  You know your DD best, so if you think she needs a break, no therapy, less therapy, different therapy, other therapists, etc., or you just need a break from all those therapies, then take the break.

But that diagnosis is insurance gold.  Hold onto it even if you think it's bogus.[/quote]

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