Any w/children dx'd with Autism, then later, changed to other diagnosis?
By sylviekitty
@sylviekitty (2083)
United States
February 11, 2007 9:43am CST
I know Autism can't be "cured", although the symptoms can be treated and managed, and even to the point of being almost completely unnoticeable to others. However, I would have to assume that sometimes, children are diagnosed with Autism at first, only to go back for a re-evaluation (I think it's at 6 yrs old?), and perhaps be given a different diagnosis of Aspergers (or maybe something else?).
Do you know of any cases where this has happened? There are a lot of children who are diagnosed with Autism- "high functioning" or "mild"- who get early intervention, and I would assume *some* get enough help to go right into the public school system with relatively little issues. Their speech is on target with their peers, maybe their behavior has been generally "curbed", and perhaps social skills are gradually fading.
(I also have to wonder how one deals with having first faced the reality of an Autism diagnosis, then to learn it no longer applies?)
4 people like this
5 responses
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
13 Feb 07
I have been thinking a lot about this for awhile now myself...Except for my son (CJ was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism at age 2 1/2) not being able to talk well as of yet, gramatically, he has outgrown all of the so-called Autistic tendencies.
Granted, they were bad when he had them but he totally stopped exhibiting all of the traits except for the speech part. So I've been wondering for some time now if he really does have Autism.
I'm going to try to get him re-evaluated and see what comes of it. Thank you for bringing this back to the front of my mind, kitty.
4 people like this
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
13 Feb 07
I was trying to explain this to my sister, because she was like "How could a kid have Autism one minute, and then not have it the next? You always have it, right?". I was explaining (although probably poorly) that perhaps in a small number of cases, there is a mis-diagnosis. (Not saying that this is the case with my son. I did ask the psychologist why he didn't have Asperger's, and she said it was because of his speech delay. What I would like to know, for lack of real understanding I guess, is do/did children with Asperger's NEVER had speech delays? So even if my son had an obvious delay for 2 years, and then it seemingly disappeared, he doesn't suddenly become a child with a different disability other than Autism, correct?)
Whoever re-evaluates my child at the age of 6, and then any re-evaulation further down the road, will see his original diagnosis, see his MFE's, IEP's, etc.. and will have to say- despite the fact he may at some point seem completely "typical" when it comes to speech- that he still has Autism?
2 people like this
@payingforschool (678)
• Canada
13 Feb 07
Is it that he isn't exhibiting the traits, or is it that you have made enough accomodations to his environment that he can cope and doesn't act out? There is a big difference.
3 people like this
@deberooney (418)
• United States
13 Feb 07
I have to say for my son that we have learned to accomodate him and alot of people now think that he is either super shy or aloof! We have changed and have changed his environment...if we stopped and went back to the way things were before he started therapy I'm sure he would regress!
1 person likes this
@deberooney (418)
• United States
11 Feb 07
My son was diagnosed with PDD at almost 3 and then high functioning Autism at 3 1/2...then finally Asperger's at 4 1/2. Who knows what they will say next year! lol He really hasn't changed..just improoved behaivior wise and his speech/language has improoved ALOT. I think the reason they switched from HFA to AS is because of my sons vocabulary. He has a 18 yr old vocabulary. I really don't give a hoot what the doctors diagnose him with...I treat him the same emotionally,physically and developmentally so it doesn't really matter..right?
3 people like this
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
11 Feb 07
You're right. IN that sense, it doesn't matter in the least. I'm curious, though.. because I took my son to a new speech therapist last week. I haven't shown her the diagnosis (report) yet , because I forgot to bring it with me. But I guess he was having a really great day, and she was kind of like "I don't see any problems". LOL So I'm thinking by the time he's 6, he might not have any speech issues at all. Other problems, probably so.. who knows. But if the speech seems "normal" at age 6, I would guess they'd change his diagnosis. Does this change what he is qualified for in terms of treatments, etc, as far as the state? With regard to funding?
3 people like this
@deberooney (418)
• United States
11 Feb 07
OK..I see what you are saying. If a teacher sees him everyday than she might have more to say about his speech than someone who spent a half hour wiuth him...KWIM?
@SageMother (2277)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I have noticed diagnosis changes when I look at the IEP's of students that I work with.
What is actually happening in some cases is they are breaking the whole autism comples into each of its components. Its a tossed salad being separated into lettuce, tomatoes..you get the drift.
They do this so that they can bill insurance companiens for more, and the school districts can be justified in managing just one or two aspects of the whole ball of wax because they are not therapeutic situaions and cannot provide adequate supervision for...the whole ball of wax.
Many conditions that were once simply labelled retardation are now bing swept into autism for lack of any place else to go with something that is going to an insurance company. Sad...but true....not in all cases...but way too many.
1 person likes this
@albert2412 (1782)
• United States
11 Feb 07
Yes, I do know of children who are better from their autism and even have had their autism diagnosis removed. Please go to http://www,autism-recoveredchildren.org
and go down the page to Slater's story on the window media player. For more information on autism treatment go to the Autism Rearch Institute web site.
2 people like this
@payingforschool (678)
• Canada
13 Feb 07
I don't know of anyone who has had the diagnosis removed. I can say, though, that tehre are people who look at my son and say, 'I don't see it.' I am talking botu doctors and ER doctors and such. Because he has such good behaviour - sometimes for maonths at a time. I could see someone deciding he was 'no longer' Autistic based on the improvements he made. But, I would fight that tooth and claw. You don't take away the supporst because the child gets better with them ... that would be like taking away glasses because the child can see with them. I woudl fight to have the supports maintained.
@NVMapper (115)
• United States
13 Feb 07
I agree and our medical people do act as if one is cured just because one responds to treatment. Its the beancounter response, why spend the extra money, or take the extra time, if there is no immediate need? I am 59 now and can remember times when the Autism resurged or wasn't active. It would have been helpful for me to have known about this then, but wasn't told until I was 55 of my parents delemma. It explained a lot.
