Health and Psychology

I work out in the Inland Empire a couple days a week doing social security disability evaluations.  At least once a week I see some child that should have received a diagnosis of autistic disorder but didn't.  This level of misdiagnosis isn't present in Los Angeles county. In Los Angeles it's more common for a diagnosis of autistic disorder to be made when there is minimal evidence to support it.  So why is this happening? Pediatricians or family practice physicians are seeing the children in San Bernardino and not making referrals for further evaluation.  Children in Los Angeles are more likely to be seen by speech therapists or psychologists.

So here is what I look for in making a diagnosis:

• A child not making eye contact, or making minimal eye contact.
• Impaired receptive language skills--often reported by parents as "he doesn't listen to me."
• Impaired expressive language skiils--not saying single words by age 1 or phrases by age 2.
• Unusual request for routine--lines up toys, can't tolerate change, ridgidly wants sameness.
• An unusual or other-worldly quality or lacking in social relatedness--this is hard to explain but easy to understand when someone sees it.

The earlier a child with autistic disorder is correctly diagnosed, the more likely the child is to receive appropriate services.  There are many agencies that provide specialized services, respite care, and educational assistance to children and their families.  Many of these children qualifiy for benefits under social security disability.  If you need your child evaluated, feel free to contact us.