Expert: Valerie Herskowitz - 3/24/2009

Question
My daughter was diagnosed in the autism spectrum at 2 1/2 she has some of the qualities not all.  Doesn't have temper tantrums,low verble use,  hugs and kisses, wants to be around people not necessarily want to play, and she comes for praise when she uses the potty...she acts proud!!! the specialist I saw 2 months ago asked me if I questioned her diagose! Of course I said yes who wants their child to be autistic!!!!  I would like to know what level and is she really autistic....MRI showed "milination of the white matter in her frontal lobe"???? Can this heal?

My question is sometimes when she is asked to do something she does it  then it could be 5 minutes later I ask the same thing and she looks at me blank.  Is this typical?  should I try something different?  Does she really understand and doesn't want to do it?

Answer
Of course it is hard to accept a diagnosis such as autism. And I understand that you are questioning it. I highly recommend that you see another specialist to confirm.

But, that said, you really have to ask yourself, if she doesn't have autism, than what? Why would she have the behaviors that led you to have her checked out in the first place.

Remember that autism is a spectrum disorder, In other words, different children have different levels of behaviors though they are all diagnosed with autism (or developmental delay).

So, other than going and getting another opinion, which I recommend, you need to not worry about whether it is full blown autism or not, just focus on what you need to do to help her.

It seems from your description that low verbal abilities stands out as the main issue for her. So it's time for you to focus on developing better communication skills. Does she receive therapy for this?

Obviously as a speech pathologist, this is my area of expertise, so feel free to contact me if you would like a private consultation or if you would like to learn more through our webinar/teleclasses.

My website is: valerieherskowitz.com

Take care and keep in touch

Valerie Herskowitz, MA CCC-SLP