Reply to best place for second opinion on ASD diagnosis?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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]
Therapies are "informed by diagnosis" but not determined by it.  My ASD kid goes to a lot therapies.  Each therapist makes an independent evaluation of specific deficits, which sometimes are unrelated to her core ASD diagnosis.  Then they make a treatment plan based on that evaluation, not just the diagnosis we showed up with.

So it's most important right now to know what the actual deficits are rather than pin down the diagnosis. [/quote]

Well, OP clearly thinks a misdiagnosis is driving inappropriate therapies here.  A professional has told her that her child needs ABA, which is tested on kids with ASD, and is generally specifically intended for that. It's costing her money, and she perceives it as "torturing" her child.  OP is exactly right to seek a second opinion here, to know what kind of therapy she needs to focus on.  [/quote]

The question of whether ABA is appropriate for the child is separate from the question of whether her child is ASD. Many people believe that the kind of ABA OP is describing is inappropriate for any child.  OP can simply stop the ABA. [/quote]

I think its worth trying ABA if insurance is paying.  We did and stopped it.  It wasn't as everyone describes it on here and online.  It really varies by provider.  BUT, I also didn't find it helpful in getting speech or language skills which is why we didn't continue.   ABA is good for behavioral and other issues.  It would be better for a low functioning child or one with behavioral issues.[/quote]
ABA is also a big time commitment so why should OP waste her time when it's not helping?[/quote]

ABA time varies depending on the provider and child.  We did it 4 hours a week - 2 - 2 hour sessions.  Its not a bad idea to try it as it may help.  We did it for a few months and moved on to more speech.  There was no harm, child liked the provider.[/quote]
Thing is, most of the research was based on 40 hours per week,  and the usual recommended minimum is 10 to 20 hours.  So while it's good there was no harm, 4 hours per week was almost certainly not enough. You would have been better off with 4 hours of speech per week. [/quote]

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