Maybe It's Not Autism

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