Is the GADS a reliable test?

[tinymama]

My 5 year old son after breaking an arm had a tough time regaining fine motor skills.  We received OT who noticed retained reflexes, low tone, difficulty tracking objects and hearing sensitivity.  Waited 6 months for a neurology appointment who after hearing how well of a reader my child is (beginning 2nd grade level) insisted on us taking the GADS questionaire.  We also had concerns about possible ADHD due to family history and observations.  My son is very in tune with other children's feelings and social clues almost to a fault.  Although my child has games/activities that are unusual for a 5 year old it is not unusual in our house his grandfather is a physics professor and his father and I enjoy doing chemistry experiments with him for fun.  His interests in these things are more superficial (if I mix these two things mom and dad say are acids and bases I can make things blow up) rather than specific ie knowing the ph levels or definition of acid and base.  He is very imaginative and very social.  He has very low self esteem and a good amount of anxiety about taking risks after the break.  My concern is that the Neurologists diagnosis is not based on any of his observations strictly the ADHD testing (and intelligence testing) and the GADS questionaire.  Should the Neurologist be looking into other reasons for his behaviors or does it sound like the Aspergers diagnosis may in fact be correct?  Both the school counselor and his K teacher are surprised by the diagnosis.

[William L Holcomb, Ph.D., BCBA]

As noted in the product description:
“The GADS is a norm-referenced assessment designed to evaluate individuals with unique behavior problems who may have Asperger's Disorder.”  (http://portal.wpspublish.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,83852&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL).  If you feel that the resultant diagnosis was not correct, I strongly recommend that you 1. Speak with the neurologist who gave your son the diagnosis, and 2. Get a second opinion from a neurologist, neuro-psychologist, or other health professional familiar with children with autism spectrum disorders.  #1 allows you to ask the neurologist directly how he arrived at his diagnosis for your son, and discuss any concerns you have.  #2 would give you the opportunity to explain to the clinician giving the second opinion that you want to be sure that the clinician bases his or her diagnosis on direct observation as well as whatever descriptive assessment tools they might use.  I always stress to parents that finding a clinician who has seen many children with ASDs is very important.  

[tinymama]

Thank you.