Autism Diagnosis

So, the time has come to finally find out if your child is indeed autistic. Maybe you have waited for months for this appointment. Nerves may threaten to get the best of you, but you are strong. Get ready, your life is about to change, and it’s going to be a wild ride. Breathe, you’ve

Over the past decade there has been much debate about autism intelligence and whether autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities are linked. Or, if greater intelligence is present among the ASD population compared to neurotypicals. These thoughts typically stem from people noticing some children with autism show above average abilities, like reading at an

“Can I ask you a question? Don’t get mad at me or anything ok?”, my friend Heather tentatively said to me one sunny afternoon on my back porch. “Have you ever thought that Owen may be on the autism spectrum?” The question hit me with such force, it almost took my breath away. I had

A future where an autism brain scan facilitates accurate, earliest possible diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders may not only be possible but probable. If only there was a quick, accurate test that could diagnose autism effortlessly, a rapid blood test or brain scan, eliminating the need for doctors to painstakingly examine a child’s developmental history,

A psychologist shares how autism symptoms can be misunderstood in undiagnosed children. Sammy was 14 years old when I first met him. He came to my office because he had been truant from school for the past three years.  About three years earlier, Sammy’s mother had died. Afterward, he simply became reclusive and refused to

There are many factors to consider when discussing the typical age of autism diagnosis because children on the autism spectrum range in age, socio-economic group, race, gender, etc. Due to these factors and others in the general population, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be reliably diagnosed as early as three to ten years

When Vanessa’s 8-year-old boy, Kyle, continuously showed a lack of empathy, she started worrying. “Does he have sociopathy?” she wondered. Do autistic children show compassion differently? What is the sociopathy vs. autism controversy all about?  As many parents probably wonder the same, Vanessa isn’t alone in her worries. In this article, we delve into the

Receiving an autism diagnosis for your child is a confusing experience, especially as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is regarded by some as an umbrella term for several different conditions. Parents with children on the spectrum often receive multiple diagnoses, some of which are conditions that co-occur with autism, some of which are part of autism

Professor Uta Frith of University College London recently spoke out about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, saying urgent changes are needed in how the condition is diagnosed as it “has been stretched to breaking point and has outgrown its purpose”. The comments were made after a study was published in the Journal of Child Psychology

Genetic studies are evolving every day and now play a key part in identifying which genes could be the reason behind disorders and disabilities. Genetic testing is being used more and more in the medical community, but is there a form of genetic testing for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? This article should answer this big

Have you ever witnessed a child in a classroom who is constantly fidgeting? Or perhaps you’ve seen a child playing alone in the corner of a playground? Many children struggle to focus or have difficulty making friends at times, but when this becomes “normal” daily behavior, it could be a sign of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Is autism an intellectual disability? It’s a question many parents and caregivers ask when trying to better understand their child’s diagnosis. While autism and intellectual disability can sometimes overlap, they are not the same condition. Many autistic individuals with high cognitive abilities emphasize that autism is not a form of intellectual disability. However, this view,

When researching whether autism is overdiagnosed, Google’s related search suggested, “Why is everyone autistic now?” Is autism on the rise and affecting individuals in record numbers? Is there a problem with diagnostic criteria that results in an ever-widening spectrum, where normal behavior is pathologized? Is autism being overdiagnosed? Could I be on the spectrum? Perhaps

Elon Musk has Asperger’s; he revealed this during a Saturday Night Live gig. Apparently, speculation about the billionaire being on the spectrum was pretty common online. Having previously spoken about “solving” autism, all did not applaud his Asperger’s revelation—but it did encourage more open conversations about autism.  Unfortunately, some of these conversations are based on

Changes in mood, seemingly emotional instability, and intense emotional outbursts… These are signs of both borderline personality disorder and autism, so what are their differences? Is it possible that your child has both? Studies have discovered that some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also present with a form of personality disorder. Of the various

Diagnosing mental conditions can be tricky, and autism is no exception. Over the years, our understanding of autism and developmental disorders, in general, has evolved a lot, but that means it can be hard to keep track of all the subcategories and definitions that have popped up along the way. One term you may have

The journey to attaining a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often comes with many hurdles and back-and-forth consultations. Some parents only receive a positive diagnosis after years of seeking answers for their children’s challenges, but tools such as the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale are designed to help. Due to the spectrum of autism, diagnostic

At first glance prenatal testing seems like the ultimate feat of modern medicine. But when reading about parents provided with knowledge and subsequent choices, a dystopian future where tests decide who gets to live becomes imaginable. Prenatal testing for autism is not widely available, and the ethical implications of such testing are enormous. When considering

When you have a child or children with autism, you probably spend more time with doctors and therapists than most other families. First, there’s the search for a diagnosis, then there are potential treatments, not to mention the other conditions—such as ADHD or gastrointestinal issues—sometimes associated with ASD.  All this means you’ve almost certainly come

Medical professionals and researchers often consult the DSM-5, a manual sometimes referred to as the bible of mental conditions. In this article the criteria for an autism diagnosis according to the DSM-5 will be examined. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) is a manual often cited

When people hear the word “autism,” they probably don’t picture babies. After all, most aren’t diagnosed until they’re toddlers or even older. But ASD does exist in infants, and detecting it early on can make a difference for your child’s behavioral development and functioning in the future. In this article, we’ll discuss what you can

Every parent of a child on the spectrum knows – autism is challenging enough on its own. When combined with other comorbidities, those challenges keep adding up. Language impairments are common among autistic individuals, but is it possible to have both dyslexia and autism? An autism diagnosis may explain challenging behavior in children, but parents

With more experience and less exhausted eyes, grandparents often play a huge role in bringing autism symptoms to the attention of new parents. “It takes a village to raise a child”—just hearing this phrase might evoke images of a bygone era, in which extended family, neighbors, and regular citizens all had a hands-on role to

Diving straight into the controversial nature of this topic, perhaps the title should have been: Is Borderline Autism a Real Diagnosis? The term borderline autism probably exists because autism is difficult to diagnose—much of the challenge lies in the fact that autism is a spectrum disorder. The spectrum is wide, and the borders create as

A look at how the diagnosis of asperger’s disorder being replaced with the broader diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has had an impact on a mother and son. Prior to 2013, individuals diagnosed with asperger’s disorder were described as possessing degrees of characteristics that were distinct and different from neurotypical people. Though varying from

In the autism community, the prevailing idea is that boys significantly outnumber girls on the autism spectrum. Common estimates suggest that the boy: girl ratio is 4:1. Recent studies have found that, in fact, there are more girls on the spectrum than previously recognized, with current estimates of the boy:girl ratio ranging from 3:1 to

When parenting children with autism, it is essential for parents and carers to understand all behavior is a form of communication. When that behaviour challenges parents and carers it is most often the environment, which includes the people within it, which triggers anxiety and the Fight or Flight response. Learning to understand your child and

I will always be grateful to my aunt, an occupational therapist, for being the first one to suggest that a person in my life may be on the autism spectrum. He had no language delay, and a normal IQ, which I incorrectly believed ruled out autism. I was ignorant and in complete denial, which, unfortunately,