to diagnose or not

[REYNA33]

I am pretty much resolved to believe my son has Aspergers or PDD-Nos based on my experience with other children of  his age and his red flag behaviors. My problem is that my husband believes I have the problem, he thinks nothing is wrong with my son even after I have explained problem areas.  I myself question whether to obtain diagnosis as it may seem as a label and be worse for him.  I am told Mozart and   Einstein were possibly  Aspies and they were never officially diagnosed as far as we can tell, what harm could I do to just accept my child as different and let him develop in his own way?


This discussion is related to Are these autistic symptoms?.

[REYNA33]

I know this is a long time to reply but just wanted to let you know that your words really made a lot of sense to me.  I did get my son tested and he has been diagnosed with high functioning autism. He is getting services until next month when he turns 3, and will then start going to school in the special ed program. My husband  is now on board with the diagnosis although at times has bouts of denial.  I really appreciate your comments since I used them to convince my husband that my son needed help.  Thanks again

[katiebug81]

I do not know how old your son is. I can only tell you about my own experience with diagnosis and therapy. My son's father felt the same way, he did not want my son to have a label. Without a label however, there is no access to services unless you have a lot of money. My son was 3 1/2 when I started the process. He was diagnosed with ADHD and Sensory Integration Disorder. He got medication for his severe hyperactivity and inattention and it made a world of difference- we could actually hold a conversation with him for once and even enjoy a board game. He also received OT for "fine motor" since insurance wouldn't cover it for SID. He went on to mainstream kindergarten, though he had the academic skills, he struggles socially and behaviorally. His kindergarten teacher was very worried that this would get in the way of learning and also how kids would respond to him as he went on to first grade and so on when children become less forgiving. Still he went on to first and had a hard year. He was the only kid with a behavioral journal, he started to see slightly that other kids weren't responding to him as he hoped. He didn't know how to interact with peers or adults. Despite tons of reminders and rewards, his behaviors continue. Also, his behaviors did affect his learning as he fell below average in math and reading. Finally in the spring I took him back to the Center for Autism, the same people that said he only had ADHD and SID at 3. Guess what? At 7 1/2 he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS as well. Of course, no wonder he has these autistic-like behaviors. Now that he has this "label", he is entitled to 2 hours of individual reading a day and 2 hours of math a week. He can get an aide for the afternoons which are his hardest. He also is going to behavioral therapy biweekly and is back to OT. If only he had gotten this kind of individualized help when he started kindergarten, he wouldn't have fallen as far behind or faced the kind of scrutiny from the school as to his peculiar behaviors. I think its a shame he was misdiagnosed, and I would encourage anyone to seek screening as soon as possible. Don't think of a diagnosis as a label, but as a clue to finding the specific things to help your child better succeed. If your child struggled with high school math you would get him a tutor because you want to prepare him as best you can for college. So if your child struggles with social skills and self-regulation, and the only way to get him "tutoring" for such things is by means of a diagnosis, I would encourage you to do so. After all you're preparing him for life.

[KarenDiane]

I agree with yngdad. Speech and occupational therapy could really help your son. I see what you mean about letting him develop on his own, but I'm sure you also want him to have the best opportunities for success.

[yngdad]

Well it couldn't hurt to get him screened. If he has some of the red flags, he could get help for them. I am the father of 3 boys and the youngest (3) is autistic. He had the red flags too, and a friend tried to convinence me that I had the problem. But I am happy I got my son screened, now he gets speech therapy, and soon occupational therapy. It won't hurt him to get a diagnoses. Just make sure if u do that u take him someplace where they have knowledge and experience with kids and Autism. I learned the hard way. Good luck. If u have any questions, feel free to message me.