| Maybe It's Not Autism?
| |
| | learning disability. More than once, I
|
| Most would agree that public awareness
| |
| | have encountered a child who seemed
|
| and access to medical information is
| |
| | locked in his own thoughts, unwilling or
|
| critical to public health. Destigmatizing
| |
| | unable to join the social world around
|
| mental illness and focusing attention on
| |
| | him. But not every case was an
|
| under-diagnosed problems has been a
| |
| | autism-spectrum disorder--a thorough
|
| particularly important stride of the past
| |
| | evaluation can reveal a wide range of
|
| 30 years. Yet sometimes, publicity leads
| |
| | potential causes for lack of social
|
| to anxiety. As an acquaintance said, "if
| |
| | interest and communication skills.
|
| the disease-of-the-week doesn't kill me,
| |
| | The good news is that with time,
|
| the worry will."
| |
| | relationship, and strategic
|
| Recently, a parent contacted me with
| |
| | encouragement, the great majority of kids
|
| concerns about his 7 year-old son, who
| |
| | can learn to connect with others, and
|
| was quiet, introverted, and highly
| |
| | even enjoy it! Finding the key that
|
| focused on a few hobbies. "Could he be
| |
| | unlocks a child's mind and heart requires
|
| autistic?," he asked. While the boy did
| |
| | patience and a steadfast belief in the
|
| not meet the diagnostic criteria for
| |
| | power of your own love and concern. And
|
| autism, or an autism- spectrum disorder,
| |
| | of course, one practical expression of
|
| his father was voicing a concern
| |
| | that concern is to strive to get an
|
| psychologists and pediatricians are
| |
| | accurate assessment of the challenges
|
| hearing more commonly these days. News of
| |
| | your child faces, so your interventions
|
| the nation's autism epidemic is
| |
| | will help.
|
| everywhere. On a recent drive, I noted
| |
| | I believe the autism epidemic is real and
|
| almost as many "Autism-Awareness" auto
| |
| | deserves the analysis of the country's
|
| decals as those saying, "Support Our
| |
| | best medical minds. Children who have
|
| Troops."
| |
| | autism or a related problem benefit from
|
| Don't get me wrong-I'm glad that there is
| |
| | early professional diagnosis and
|
| increased public awareness about autism
| |
| | intensive intervention. Yet I also
|
| and there is indeed cause for concern. In
| |
| | believe that the constant buzz about
|
| some states, there are several times more
| |
| | autism has led to many of us being
|
| children being diagnosed with autism
| |
| | hypersensitized about whether our child
|
| spectrum disorders than just a decade
| |
| | "has it." Just as an energetic 5 year-old
|
| ago. Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes known
| |
| | may be misconstrued as hyperactive, a
|
| as high-functioning autism) seems to be
| |
| | stoic 7 year-old may be thought of as
|
| particularly prevalent, with estimates of
| |
| | having some variant of autism. Yet stoic
|
| its occurrence ranging from 1 in every
| |
| | boys are no more a new phenomenon than
|
| 166 to 500 births. Although there are
| |
| | energetic pre-schoolers.
|
| several theories as to why we are seeing
| |
| | As our world changes, so do our
|
| such an epidemic, as of yet, no single
| |
| | expectations of children. The problem is
|
| theory has achieved scientific consensus
| |
| | people take longer to change and evolve
|
| among researchers.
| |
| | than society. That difference in tempo
|
| Lack of social communication skills is a
| |
| | should not be the reason for a
|
| core trait of all types of autism.
| |
| | neurological diagnosis. It's a little
|
| However, I wonder if we are too quick to
| |
| | like getting mad at a computer that
|
| assign communication problems such
| |
| | doesn't run fast enough to operate new
|
| serious diagnostic labels. A brief
| |
| | software. The computer is running as fast
|
| checklist of the communication problems
| |
| | as it can - as fast as it was made to do
|
| common to boys included on my website and
| |
| | - yet software is evolving too quickly
|
| in my recent book Boys of Few Words:
| |
| | for the computer's capabilities.
|
| Raising Our Sons to Communicate and
| |
| | For more information about autism and
|
| Connect may help you decide if your son
| |
| | Asperger's syndrome, you might want to
|
| is simply struggling with the kinds of
| |
| | contact The Autism Society of America,
|
| expressive challenges found among many
| |
| | The National Institute of Mental Health,
|
| different types of boys.
| |
| | or check my website's Resources section
|
| By all means have your child
| |
| | for links to these and other
|
| professionally evaluated if you have
| |
| | organizations that can provide more
|
| serious concerns. But make sure the
| |
| | information about Autism, Asperger's
|
| professional you visit understands the
| |
| | Syndrome, and other child development
|
| psychology of boys, and can tell the
| |
| | concerns. If you have questions about a
|
| difference between a syndrome like
| |
| | child, please seek qualified professional
|
| high-functioning autism and something
| |
| | advice. Help begins with accurate
|
| more manageable, like a nonverbal
| |
| | diagnosis and early intervention.
|
