Autism Screening and Diagnosis
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention launched a campaign in December 2006 called “Learn the Signs, Act Early” in efforts to educated the entire population on the signs and symptoms of Autism. Every parent and doctor naturally looks at height, weight, eyesight, and hearing as indicators of growth but to effectively evaluate a child’s milestones parents also need to look at speech, social interaction, eye contact, and learning styles.
According to the CDC all children should be screened for developmental delays at 9 months, 18 months, 24 months, and 30 months. If milestones are not met, especially at the 18 month checkups, physicians should and must check for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Screening for ASDs is one way to improve early identification of children who need of more in-depth evaluation. Early intervention may be vital in preventing a cascade of problems that may affect later functioning. All children should be screened for ASDs at the 18-, 24-, and 30-month “well-child” visits. Additional screening may be needed if a child is at high risk for ASDs (has a sibling or parent with an ASD) or if symptoms warrant. (AAP).
However, this is why early intervention is the key…screening and testing can often take from 6 months to two years to get a diagnosis. In our case, we saw a Developmental Pediatrician, two Neurologists, our regular Pediatrician, and recently the Pfeiffer Clinic, specialists in biomedical testing for Autism. We have yet to have a definitive diagnosis.
There are several steps to getting a diagnosis:
1. Screening with tools such as American Pediatrics
2. Diagnostic Testing using a variety of recourses and tests including the CARS and GARS tests.
3. A referral to a Developmental Pediatrician and/or Autism Specialist. There are many DAN doctors (Defeat Autism Now) that specialize in diagnosing and using biomedical resources to aid Autistic children.
4. Utilize local Early Intervention Programs.
Some Helpful Links
Centers for Disease Control
Billing codes (to help get “around” some insurance agency issues) ie: we could NEVER list developmental delay or sensory issues on our insurance. It was an automatic decline.
DAN
Tacanow.com- one of my favorite sites with TONS of information!
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