Autism/DIAGNOSIS AGE

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Expert: - 1/14/2008


Question
I saw that your child was not diagnosed until age 14, why?  I have the same situation, however, our doctors just thought Mom was crazy for the last 8 years of questions?

Answer
Hello,

I gather that you are the person who has or may have autism?

The why of it is that she has Asperger's syndrome which, while still quite a handicap, does not impair speech. So, since she is very intelligent, talks well, has great artistic and musical talents, it was assumed that she was OK. No one could figure out why she was failing all her classes (except music).

We knew something was wrong but could not find an answer. Along the way, she was mis-diagnosed as bi-polar, and several other things.

People accused me of spoiling her because she had strange sensitivities to sounds, bright light, tight clothing, being touched or in a crowd. The older she got, the more her social issues showed up. She had few friends and was very unhappy. Finally, I convinced a high school counselor to test her for A.S.

Getting the diagnosis was a relief but it really did not fix the problems with school. It was not until she went to college to study music that she began to come into her own.

Write back and tell me more about your situation and perhaps I can make some suggestions that will be useful for you. Mom was not crazy and neither are you.

Best wishes,
Catherine

Autism

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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