Autism is Autism Regardless...

Back to the blog... More than one of the four psychologists we have seen over the last 4 years said: "Autism is autism no matter what the severity". We have twin boys that both have autism, but, they are very different in terms of severity. One is higher functioning than the other, but they both have autism. Once you get past the fact that your child has been diagnosed as being on the spectrum, it's time to take action. Every parent I've talked to so far has said, like us, the first thing they did was research the web or library for hours to learn as much as possible. I know that I read more in two weeks, than I'd read in probably two years when Daniel was diagnosed.

Our job as parents is to love, accept, research, learn, help and teach. There are many more jobs of course, but these are the basic. With the help of family, friends, special education, ABA, medical and psychological help, we can do our best to provide the best intervention we can. We cannot allow of kiddos to remain in their own world. We must pull them out, little by little. Learn what works best to help them to learn and retain the concepts they are being taught.

Many people try vitamin B injections, strict regimens. I have recently read about many children on the spectrum having digestion issues and compromised immune systems, which require different diets. Some people think that by ignoring it, the problem will "work itself out" - it will not. There are many approaches and many beliefs, i believe the best approach is using a combination of efforts. Now, I am by no means an expert on autism, I have only my experience with my boys as a guide. This is the same for all parents and caregivers of someone with ASD.

New guidelines for autism will come with the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) used by psychiatrists and psychologists.
Due for publication May 2013        http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx 

It is removing the categories of Aspergers and PDD-NOS. It is believed that 75% of those diagnosed with Aspergers will lose their diagnosis and possibly lose services. The PDD-NOS diagnosis will also be going away and it is believed that around 79.95% of those diagnosed will also lose their diagnosis and possibly their services as well.

http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/dsm-v-goes-forward-major-shift-in-diagnostic-criteria-for-autism-spectrum-disorder-approved/

Those with Aspergers and PDD-NOS will most likely be requested to be re-diagnosed. Those with more tendencies on the "autistic" side of the spectrum will likely be diagnosed with autism, however, it is believed that those with more of the "social communication disorder" will lose the diagnosis and their services. This is because there are no programs currently approved to treat social anxiety and communication disorders at this time.

So, no matter what happens in the near future, there will be a major change to what is called the autisic spectrum disorders. It has been stated that these changes are being instituted to make it easier to diagnose autism. I, for one, and those I have talked to don't believe this is the case. We have come to believe it is being changed because no wants to completely define Aspergers or PDD-NOS, which many psychologists and psychiatrists don't want to diagnose.

We'll just have to wait a few more months and see what develops. As it is, it's  sometimes very hard to be diagnosed properly for autism, hopefully this will help. Though I'm skeptical, I am also cautiously optimistic.

From a mother's heart, have a good day.