why won't his pediatrician consider autism?

Sharlene - posted on 12/10/2011

Well your with the right connection's but the pedri .Probably go and get a second opinion or see a specialist .cheers

Julie - posted on 01/16/2010

I would ask your Speech therapist for their opinion. They probably aren't qualified to make a diagnosis, but they may be able to refer you to someone who can. It was a speech therapist who referred us to the behavior and developmental development clinic at Children's Mercy where we finally got to see someone who was qualified to give us a diagnosis of autism. Her pediatrician was concerned that she didn't seem to be responding to sound, but she passed all of her hearing tests with flying colors. The pediatrician didn't think it was autism because my daughter was affectionate when she was paying attention. I will be forever grateful that I followed my intuition, and the speech therapist's recommendation. It allowed us to get the early childhood therapy that my daughter qualified for until she turned 3. She has come so far because of that early intervention. Good luck, and follow your intuition!

Melissa - posted on 01/15/2010

We didn't get Aidan diagnosed right away. Instead, we started him in an Early Childhood Cares Program for children that appear to be on the spectrum, but aren't necessarily diagnosed. I agree that its best not to put him through all that testing too much. My son didn't really go through a lot of testing even when we did get him diagnosed. If he can get into the programs he needs, that's more important at this stage than having him labeled correctly. If he is autistic, he won't ever not be autistic and can be diagnosed later in a year or so when it's more obvious to the medical practitioners. I hope that helps :-)

Meryet - posted on 01/15/2010

I spoke with my ex husband & he in turn talked to my sons speech therapist about the possibility of getting him tested. She said she would make some calls & commented that in her opinion my son was basically a 50/50 case. She said she sees children his age everyday with the same symptoms & they get tested & are fine. Lets hope we're on the upper end of that 50 then! My ex still denies that our son has any problems other than speech but as a mother I've picked up on so many that I'm concerned as well he should be. He conceded & is willing to get him tested. After all with his insurance the testing won't cost him anything so there is nothing to lose. I guess I made a good argument...now just getting him to stick with it!

Kimberly - posted on 01/10/2010

Elizabeth and Donna are right on...there are a lot of disorders and many mimic autism and the autism spectrum itself is so broad that it is often difficult to diagnose especially those on the higher functioning side unless you are a specialist. Developmental Pediatricians or Neuropsychologists have the advanced diagnostic tools available to diagnose certainly by your son's age. Most importantly with an early diagnosis you can get the best early intervention program possible going for your son. I didn't get any early intervention going for my daughter until after 3 and then it was limited to speech when she really needed O/T and social skills development, too. If you like your doctor for physical stuff keep them for that but see a specialist for developmental issues. Your pediatrician may "come around" if they hear it from a colleague, too, but that is a secondary issue.

Donna - posted on 01/10/2010

The tests are necessary, and if done properly will allow you to adequately prepare for the needs that your son may have. As the mother of a son with autism who blindly listened to her peditrician when they made excuses for his developmental delays I totally recommend getting your son evaluated by someone who is qualified to give a diagnosis. At 2 1/2 years we had a couple of words but they faded by age 3 and he became totally non-verbal. Now at age 5 we have a talkative and engaging little boy, but only thanks to bio medical interventions and lots of dedication to pull him out of the clutches of autism. It's a very long and hard road to travel, but I can say that I truely enjoy every tiny milestone more than I ever thought was possible. Go with your gut...you're probably on to something. Best of luck!

Meryet - posted on 01/10/2010

Quoting Elizabeth :

I am not sure where you live but you should go to another doctor. You need to have a developmental evaluation done by doctors that specialize in children with diabilities. Those are usually done through a hosptial and as far as I know you don't have to have your pediatrician on board to have this done. Go with your mom instinct. My pediatrician said the same thing when I was concerned with my son's speech. He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS(high functioning autism) in January of last year. The sooner you can get a diagnosis the faster you can get early intervention services which are so important at a young age. There is also the gf/cf diet. Not sure if you heard of it but kids on the Autism Spectrum usually have big time food allergies. Dairy and glueten cause the most problems usually. Hope this helps and you can always contact me if you have questions.
Elizabeth Plonka

Thank you so much for your response.  I had never heard of the "high functioning autism" but it does seem to make more sense in my case.  He is so far behind developmentally it's scary.  I will begin making appointments for him to get an accurate diagnosis starting tomorrow!  I agree that early diagnosis could potentially make a huge difference in the rest of his life!

Elizabeth - posted on 01/10/2010

I am not sure where you live but you should go to another doctor. You need to have a developmental evaluation done by doctors that specialize in children with diabilities. Those are usually done through a hosptial and as far as I know you don't have to have your pediatrician on board to have this done. Go with your mom instinct. My pediatrician said the same thing when I was concerned with my son's speech. He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS(high functioning autism) in January of last year. The sooner you can get a diagnosis the faster you can get early intervention services which are so important at a young age. There is also the gf/cf diet. Not sure if you heard of it but kids on the Autism Spectrum usually have big time food allergies. Dairy and glueten cause the most problems usually. Hope this helps and you can always contact me if you have questions.

Elizabeth Plonka