Expert: James Michael Roan - 4/14/2006

Question
Dr. Roan,
Thank you so much for your quick response to my question, but I need to ask you one more thing. The speach therapist I am taking my grandson to, has told me not to mention autism to my daughter and son-in-law, because my grandson has not been diagnosed yet, and it may not be autism that he has.  She said I could scare them without a cause and we should wait until I bring him in to see her.  The only problem I have, is that now I am worried that if I don't say anything about my concerns, my daughter could end up pregnant very soon.  From your last reply, I think they should be aware of the possibility that we may be dealing with autism with my grandson and her chances are 6 times higher of her other children having autism. Please reply quickly, as I am supposed to talk to my daughter this weekend to tell her about the appointment with the therapist. I need to know if I should tell her about autism or not.  PLEASE HELP!

Worried Grandmother

Answer
Hi Connie;

You are on short notice! Be prepared. In autism, we are most concerned about social awareness, social development, and social interactions. I suggest you download off the internet the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.PDF It was normed on 18,000 children in the UK and provides a risk estimate for autism. Also download the scoring instructions at http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF

Connie, this data will give you, your daughter, and the speech therapist some solid data regarding the risk that your grandson has for autism. It is not a diagnostic tool per se, but it will either validate your concerns or tend to refute them. If the results are inconclusive, then email me immediately and we can go from there.

Kind Regards,
James