I must admit, I’m not a big fan of early diagnosis and intervention. Well, let me back track a little. If the intervention is actually needed, then I’m glad we have the ability to diagnose early. The problem I see however, is that many kids are ‘diagnosed’ early, to find out that in reality they were on a normal part of the curve doing things a little later than their peers. However, I fully recognize that the earlier a problem is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can begin.
One of the more difficult disorders to diagnose in early childhood is autism. There are a range of symptoms going from severe to just slightly ‘off’. However, researchers are working on coming up with ‘markers’ to flag potential autistic kids early.
Does Your Child Know His Name?
Researchers recently did a study where they took a control group of one year olds (who had no known risk factors of autism) and a group of one year olds who had siblings with autism. In the control group, 100% of the infants would respond to their name. In the ‘at-risk’ group, only 86% of infants responded to their name.
Since this is a simple test requiring few resources, researchers are recommending that it be incorporated into the baby’s one year well child visit.
What If My Child Doesn’t Answer To His Name?
Our tendency is to think the worst when something is wrong with our child. Just to be clear, if your child is not responding to his name by one year, it does not mean that your child has autism. It does mean however, that a more detailed developmental assessment is in order.
So don’t panic, but do watch to see that your child is responding as you think he should. I’ve spoken to a few parents of autistic children who said that from very early on they suspected something. No one wants to hear that their child has autism, but early intervention can really make a difference.
For excellent information on Autism see the Special Needs Parenting blog.