Father Knows Best (and Mother Too!): Learn the Autism Signs
Parents are the best experts on their child...
Graphic courtesy of North Shore Pediatric Therapy (www.NSPT4kids.com)
January 27, 2015
A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog about diagnosis of autism (Autism: Earlier Diagnosis Now Possible!). Well, it seems like autism diagnosis must be a hot topic as a couple of days later I received my weekly email newsletter from Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) and it contained an article about this very thing! The article, “Doctor Visits May be Insufficient to Spot Autism”, found in the online Disability Scoop, reports on a research project which examined the ability of autism experts (i.e. psychologists trained in autism) to distinguish between children who have autism spectrum disorder, children with speech delays but no autism and typically developing children. The psychologists had to screen the children by observing them in 10-minute videos. Even though they are trained autism experts, they missed 39% of the children on the spectrum! The reason for this is because the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibited more typical behaviors than autism symptoms during the 10 minute videotaping.
The implications of this finding are very important. Most pediatrician visits last just 10 to 20 minutes, according to the article, which may be insufficient time for the pediatrician to recognize autism behaviors, if even autism experts can’t do it consistently! This could be the reason why most autistic children are not diagnosed until after age 4, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screenings at 18 and 24 months. Why is this important? Because early intervention has the most impact!
I used to work at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. One of my fellow speech-language pathologists taught the speech-language component of the medical school curriculum at the local university, which was 2 hours of instruction! There is so much information that med students have to learn, 2 hours was all the time allotted for communication disorders, sadly. Hopefully pediatricians receive more instruction, and more information on autism!
What can be done to remedy this situation? One word: PARENTS! They are the best experts on their own children! And we can train parents on the signs and symptoms of autism. If a parent has a concern about their child’s communication, behavioral or social development, the best advice I can give is for them to see a doctor, pediatrician, or a speech-language pathologist as soon as possible! (i.e. The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) states that speech-language pathologists are qualified to diagnose autism, typically as part of a team). Parents can also screen their children using a free online screening tool, the M-CHAT-R.
For more information on autism spectrum disorder, please see www.asha.org or www.autismspeaks.org. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the earlier help can be provided and the better the outcome!
Please share this post. You never know who you might be helping! Thanks for reading,
Cindy McCallum, M.Sc. R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP
Registered Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder, WiseOwlSpeech
Sources:
Disability Scoop: www.disabilityscoop.com