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Friday, July 1, 2011

The Difficulties in Diagnosing #Autism in Girls

I have a friend that so desperately needs her daughter to be able to have therapy.  However, to get the help she needs, her daughter needs an official diagnosis.  I do know that it's harder to diagnose in the toddler stages because it's not as obvious.  However, her daughter is now 5 and still is very limited in her speech.  She also has the classic signs of Autism.  My heart goes out to her because a diagnosis is needs to start getting the help you need.  Especially through insurance.  Seeing her get the run around year after year is frustrating to watch.

If anyone has any advice, I'm open to it and I will pass along to her.  

In the meantime I happen to run into this article about the difficulties in Diagnosing Autism in Girls.

The symptoms of Asperger syndrome look slightly different in girls than in boys, according to a study published earlier this month in Research in Developmental Disabilities. This study and a spate of other recent ones suggest that with available diagnostic tests, higher-functioning girls with autism are being diagnosed either later than boys, or are altogether missed.

Go HERE to read full article!
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1 comment:

  1. NataliaJuly 1, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    What avenues has she tried? I know a few ways, but forgive me if this has been attempted already:

    1- Get an eval from a Pediatric Behavioral Specialist. That is covered by insurance, even if the diagnosis is autism.

    2- Get an eval through a Clinical or Child Psychologist/Psychiatrist. They have forms you can fill out and they'll ask lots of questions to determine what's going on with your child.

    3- Though she's 5 years old, her mom can call an Early Intervention Group and request an evaluation through them. This is free and the parent can take that eval to the child's pediatrician, who can then make the diagnosis final.

    4- The mom can call the local school district and set up an eval with them. They can make a determination whether or not the child needs special services, write up an evaluation, and this can be taken to the child's pediatrician to make a final diagnosis.

    Again, sorry if all of this deems redundant. I hope I said at least one helpful thing. Good luck to your friend!

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