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People with autism are still people, damn it!
I almost felt betrayed, like I didn't know this child standing in front of me. Everything I thought was cute was a sign of autism and I felt tricked. I guess the doctor sensed this from me because he turned my head back toward him and said, "He is still the same boy you came in here with ( Read more... )
I almost felt betrayed, like I didn't know this child standing in front of me. Everything I thought was cute was a sign of autism and I felt tricked. I guess the doctor sensed this from me because he turned my head back toward him and said, "He is still the same boy you came in here with ( Read more... )
We spent an hour and a half with each child and family. We asked the parents detailed questions about behavior, language, family history. We observed the children playing, interacting with the parents, interacitng with us.
And sometimes the four of us - attending developmental pediatrician, two residents and me - all exhanced glances and nodded as one. This kid has autism. Or this kid doesn't have autism. And this attending has been in the field a long time and I really respect her knowledge base and judgement.
But sometimes we honestly weren't sure. The kid had many features but didn't seem to meet the entire diagnostic criteria. What the kid did in front of us was not consistant with what the parent said the kid could do at home. The kid was so impaired that it was hard to tease out autistic behavior from the entire clinical picutre. The kid had come in for an ADHD evaluation and was now back for an autism eval.
So even the best experts at times can be uncertain and may have to bring the kid back in 4 or 6 months to reevaluate.
On the other hand, I do see a great deal of what you describe as well.
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