Determining if your child has autism: “If you even think your child might be displaying some behaviors that fall within the spectrum of autism disorders, have him evaluated immediately. There are a lot of symptoms that can be attenuated if therapy is started early, particularly for those with average or higher-than-average intellect. In these cases, we try to utilize their cognitive abilities to strengthen social and language skills,” says Jeanne Marron Ph.D., Clinical Director, Asperger’s Related Services at the West Bergen Center for Children and Youth in Ramsey, which provides both diagnostic and therapy services to the community.
Autism is actually a term that is broadly used to describe five complex brain disorders that fall under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) including autism as well as Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and PDD-NOS.
While symptoms vary tremendously, in general, individuals with PDD have enormous difficulties with social interactions. Often they struggle with communication and often display atypical, repetitive behavior. The spectrum of unique symptoms can run the gamut from:
- lack of eye contact;
- behaving as though they can’t hear what’s being said;
- getting upset and resisting any changes in routine;
- lack of appropriate emotional responses such as no fear of real dangers or no signs of affection towards family or friends;
- inappropriate laughing, crying or attachment to objects; and
- the uneven development of skills; marked hyperactivity and/or extreme passivity.
“No one really knows what causes autism, and there is no scientific research to back up the popular theory that it is triggered by childhood vaccinations. Not knowing, however, can be very frustrating for parents,” says Jessica Alloway, a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Autism New Jersey.
True autism is usually diagnosed in first three years and occurs four to five times frequently often in boys than in girls. Pediatricians often refer younger children to developmental pediatricians or neuro-developmental pediatricians. Older children, unfortunately, are generally higher functioning and are therefore frequently misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.
Mary Meyer’s daughter wasn’t actually diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome until she was 21 years old. By then, she was also suffering from severe depression. “Misdiagnosis is more common than you would think. For example, if the diagnostician is more familiar with bipolar disorders, then that’s what they tend to believe is wrong,” says the Ramsey mother, who also heads the northern chapter of ASPEN (Asperger Syndrome Education Network) NJ’s adult program.
Once a diagnosis is complete, if the child is indeed suffering from a PDD, an individualized multidisciplinary therapy plan needs to be put in place right away. “I often hear parents say they suspected something was wrong but decided to wait and see how things went. That’s a mistake. Children make more progress if therapy is started earlier, and then you can avoid the anger and frustration that builds as they get older and realize they’re different,” concludes Dr. Marron.
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