Children in the grip of autism....

[NC_Nurse]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6901860/


After more than four years of intensive therapy and treatments, Adam has reached the point where most people who meet him would at first just think he's a little eccentric or different. But, as many experts point out, autism is not simply "quirkiness" or an unusual personality trait, but a serious disorder capable of destroying families and children's futures. Like others with the condition, Adam's progress has been hard-won.

His struggles are increasingly shared by many across the United States as rates of autism continue to skyrocket. Some experts estimate that as many as 1 in 166 children born today will be diagnosed with an autistic disorder. Autism is now the second most commonly diagnosed developmental disability in children after mental retardation.

More info from the series on Autism this week on NBC and affiliates...

[Gyre]

1. This is useful in that it creates an awareness of the problem

but still leaves untouched the issue of "While the causes for the dramatic rise in cases over the past decade are the subject of much debate".

Why has the cause of this pathology gone un-resolved? Kid's don't have an AARP to hire lobbyists to go to Washington to pitch for more research funds I guess. That is a goddanm shame that needs to be addressed.

Gyre

[caledesi]

2. Thank you for this article. My stepdaughter has 2 autistic children.

Both boys. One is mildly autistic and has made great strides. He's about 7 now, but makes pretty good eye-contact and communicates well.

His brother however is far more autistic. He is 6 and doesn't make eye-contact and rarely speaks.

My point is that there is a wide spectrum of autism.

Early intervention is so important, bec I had to tell my stepdaughter that I suspected problems. I could spot an autistic kid bec I used to babysit for a severely autistic child.

[phylny]

3. What I find the most frustrating thing of all is that I can usually

spot an autistic child very quickly however in my job (speech-language pathologist) I'm not permitted to share my opinion in this matter. Legally and ethically, I'm not permitted to diagnose autism, so I usually ask the parents to "speak with your pediatrician and see if he/she can refer you to a specialist who can rule out any other factors that might be affecting his speech and language abilities." In other words, I can't even say I have a suspicion.

Even so, after giving my speech, many parents simply do not follow through. I can't say it in any simpler language, for fear of being sued or losing my license.

I find it sad that I'm a mandatory reporter for child abuse, but can't state my clinical opinion legally.

[MichiganVote]

4. You can initiate an eval. for AI certification. Contact the SSW or Psych

of your district.

[phylny]

7. Mich, I've sent you a PM, but will respond here as well.

I don't work for a school district. When I was in a school district, I would often ask for additional testing, and in cases where it was warranted, see if we could rule out the disability category of autism.

I do Early Intervention for a county now (through an agency) and since we don't use disability categories for EI or Pre-school, there doesn't seem to be the same avenue available.

Any suggestions are welcome. I'm entirely frustrated.

[MichiganVote]

9. I replied via email

However, I think I missed the point about your working for the county. That said, any child can be referred to a local physician for AI screening. Most school districts have some form of early childhood screening for S&L or other items available in the county. That may be a likely source to tap into.

The problem I encounter most often in school districts is that early ed. programming does not have personnel skilled in this type of evaluation. Also, many parents deny the severity of their child's symptoms as do many phsicians.

An AI evaluation is a very detailed screening and should not be considered unless a child's functioning is grossly impaired in the areas of communication, social interaction or later academic participation. Early intervention is key to impacting communication and social problems.

Guidelines exist on the net for proper evaluation methods. Check them out and that may give you some idea where to start.

[bloom]

12. Can you have brochures around?

That's too bad that you can't mention it. Sounds frustrating.

[phylny]

13. Since I go to people's homes, I can't just have

brochures around, but your idea is sound. And it IS frustrating, especially since early, intensive intervention is key.

[NC_Nurse]

5. You're welcome. I know how it is.

My brother is autistic, my son has Asperger's syndrome. I hope one day that families like mine will wield more clout like the previous poster said. The epidemic is not escaping notice and more and more people are learning about it.

[NC_Nurse]

6. Ooops.

I meant to reply to caledesi, but somehow I just replied to myself....:silly:

[caledesi]

10. Hey, I got it NC. It is a travesty to say the least. It was so

difficult for me to even mention autism to my stepdaughter. Lots sadness and denial.

I feel good though that I talked about early intervention. I don't think that these kids would be where they are without me speaking up.

[NC_Nurse]

8. Kick

:kick:

More shows on autism all week on CNBC, NBC, and the Today show.

[bleedingheart]

11. i think that finally people are paying attention to these disorders

my son was diagnosed with Aspergers and with his therapy he is getting better...we use no drugs currently.

[mandyky]

14. My son is autistic spectrum

Thank God he had almost 3 full years of preschool. Our teachers here worked with me, but they are not allowed to suggest what disease any child might or might not have.

My son is not severely autistic. He doesn't mind being touched, and he talks and reads well now. He is in special ed, but he does some things with the second grade class, so he is on schedule. Most of his challenges are socially related - he makes odd noises at odd times, he's probably walk off with strangers without a struggle, that kind of thing.

He has made a lot of progress this year and maybe some day he'll be able to attend regular classes for most of the day.