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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The OP's post  mentions one of the huge issues around an ASD diagnosis in this country -- money. There is an industry now that makes money off of an autism diagnosis, particularly in states where laws require coverage of speech therapy and ABA once an ASD diagnosis is made.

Just look at all the posters saying to keep the diagnosis for the free therapies![/quote]

The issue isn't that kids with autism who live in certain states get therapies covered, it's that kids with very similar symptoms don't.

The reality is that diagnosing a child with developmental issues, especially this young, isn't an exact science.  Diagnoses like ASD, ADHD, Social Communication Disorder, and Language Delay and continuous, and there's a lot of gray areas.   Two highly skilled and qualified examiners can look at the same kid on different days and come up with different labels, and neither is wrong, they're just seeing slightly different views of the same picture and choosing slightly different words to describe it.  Unless OP is very wealthy, a diagnosis is needed so that therapies will paid for, but the current ASD diagnosis will serve that purpose.

Putting a child through multiple rounds of testing, at this age, isn't helpful.  What is helpful is watching how they grow, and what they respond to, and then increasing the time spent on things that they respond well to, whether that's inclusive preschool, or ABA, or speech therapy with Jane, or whatever.  In OP's case, it seems that OP does know what's working for her daughter, and that ABA isn't working.  If nothing was working, then more testing might make sense.

In a few years, diagnosis will be much easier, and the results are much more helpful in making educational plans.  Revisiting the question then makes sense.  It does sound like it's possible that down the road a diagnosis other than ASD, or even no diagnosis might make sense.  Or it might be that new symptoms will emerge and an ASD diagnosis will continue to be the best fit.  But even if OP had her daughter retested this year, she'd still need to do that testing too.  [/quote]

I dunno. There is so much hype about ABA and early intervention for autism, that certain kinds of parents (raises hand!) would have difficulty not going all-out with therapies if a child got an autism diagnosis. Therapies are tested and evidenced-based for specific diagnoses, despite what people say about it here. I think OP is exactly right to be seeking out information that will help guide her efforts and not waste time/money/energy. Even if it's just finding a clinician who can help with a game plan for a child whose condition is unclear and may be for a while. [/quote]

[b]Early treatment is indicated for all children regardless of diagnosis.[/b]  My.kid was born premature.  Because so many conditions can show up early, the state paid for followup evaluations.  My kid had motor delays, not particularly serious, nonetheless the state paid for PT to prevent or mitigate potential future problems. You shouldn't need a diagnosis that early,  just a noticable delay.

ABA is a separate issue.  It is evidence-based, but the original research was do on kids under old diagnostic categories(i.e. they would be considered very severe today) and for 40 hours a week by well-trained researchers.  It's not practical to have a highly trained expert work with one kid full time for years.  So now have fewer hours using less trained people on kids different from the original population.  It doesn't seem to work as well in the real world.  But the ABA providers seem to have captured the market at the expense of other approaches.[/quote]

Maybe, but you don't just give kids all therapies at all levels of intensities.  Your viewpoint ("EI at all costs" thing) is PRECISELY why in OP's position I would be very aggressive about getting a second opinion and working with a doctor who can quarterback the therapies in light of the child's ambiguous diagnosis.

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I am not the poster who said I would give my kid all therapies at all levels.  I am the one who said look for areas of deficit and apply therapies there.  Which is exactly what happened with my kid and solely because my kid was at high risk for delays due to being a premie.  Which is the same as OP's situation.

If your kid is not a premie, but you notice a delay, gwt an evaluation, and if necessary.provide therapies.  Be less concerned about diagnosis, which can change and apply APPROPRIATE therapies.  If the therapy is not helping, stop it.

And yes, a good quarterback can certaintly help guide you.[/quote]

Yeah, but how do you "look for deficits"?  In great part, based on the results of diagnostics. If a child is diagnosed with ASD, by definition they have deficits in social skills.  That's why you should always see a correct diagnosis; or if it's fuzzy or unstable, work with a professional who is willing to admit that.  [/quote]
There are milestones for social, behavioral, cognitive and physical development.  If your child performs well below average for her developmental age, then an intervention may be warranted.  There may or may not be a diagnosis associated with it.  It may simply be a delay and the child can use some assistance to catch up.  For a premie, subtract weeks early from actual age to get developmental age.

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