| Maybe It's Not Autism? | | | | learning disability. More than once, I |
| Most would agree that public awareness | | | | have encountered a child who seemed |
| and access to medical information is | | | | locked in his own thoughts, unwilling or |
| critical to public health. | | | | unable to join the social world around |
| Destigmatizing mental illness and | | | | him. But not every case was an |
| focusing attention on under-diagnosed | | | | autism-spectrum disorder--a thorough |
| problems has been a particularly | | | | evaluation can reveal a wide range of |
| important stride of the past 30 years. | | | | potential causes for lack of social |
| Yet sometimes, publicity leads to | | | | interest and communication skills. |
| anxiety. As an acquaintance said, ?if | | | | The good news is that with time, |
| the disease-of-the-week doesn?t kill me, | | | | relationship, and strategic |
| the worry will.? | | | | encouragement, the great majority of |
| Recently, a parent contacted me with | | | | kids can learn to connect with others, |
| concerns about his 7 year-old son, who | | | | and even enjoy it! Finding the key that |
| was quiet, introverted, and highly | | | | unlocks a child's mind and heart |
| focused on a few hobbies. "Could he be | | | | requires patience and a steadfast belief |
| autistic?," he asked. While the boy did | | | | in the power of your own love and |
| not meet the diagnostic criteria for | | | | concern. And of course, one practical |
| autism, or an autism- spectrum disorder, | | | | expression of that concern is to strive |
| his father was voicing a concern | | | | to get an accurate assessment of the |
| psychologists and pediatricians are | | | | challenges your child faces, so your |
| hearing more commonly these days. News | | | | interventions will help. |
| of the nation's autism epidemic is | | | | I believe the autism epidemic is real |
| everywhere. On a recent drive, I noted | | | | and deserves the analysis of the |
| almost as many ?Autism-Awareness? auto | | | | country's best medical minds. Children |
| decals as those saying, ?Support Our | | | | who have autism or a related problem |
| Troops.? | | | | benefit from early professional |
| Don?t get me wrong?I?m glad that there | | | | diagnosis and intensive intervention. |
| is increased public awareness about | | | | Yet I also believe that the constant |
| autism and there is indeed cause for | | | | buzz about autism has led to many of us |
| concern. In some states, there are | | | | being hypersensitized about whether our |
| several times more children being | | | | child "has it." Just as an energetic 5 |
| diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders | | | | year-old may be misconstrued as |
| than just a decade ago. Asperger's | | | | hyperactive, a stoic 7 year-old may be |
| Syndrome (sometimes known as | | | | thought of as having some variant of |
| high-functioning autism) seems to be | | | | autism. Yet stoic boys are no more a new |
| particularly prevalent, with estimates | | | | phenomenon than energetic pre-schoolers. |
| of its occurrence ranging from 1 in | | | | As our world changes, so do our |
| every 166 to 500 births. Although there | | | | expectations of children. The problem is |
| are several theories as to why we are | | | | people take longer to change and evolve |
| seeing such an epidemic, as of yet, no | | | | than society. That difference in tempo |
| single theory has achieved scientific | | | | should not be the reason for a |
| consensus among researchers. | | | | neurological diagnosis. It's a little |
| Lack of social communication skills is a | | | | like getting mad at a computer that |
| core trait of all types of autism. | | | | doesn't run fast enough to operate new |
| However, I wonder if we are too quick to | | | | software. The computer is running as |
| assign communication problems such | | | | fast as it can ? as fast as it was made |
| serious diagnostic labels. A brief | | | | to do ? yet software is evolving too |
| checklist of the communication problems | | | | quickly for the computer's capabilities. |
| common to boys included on my website | | | | For more information about autism and |
| and in my recent book Boys of Few Words: | | | | Asperger's syndrome, you might want to |
| Raising Our Sons to Communicate and | | | | contact The Autism Society of America, |
| Connect may help you decide if your son | | | | The National Institute of Mental Health, |
| is simply struggling with the kinds of | | | | or check my website's Resources section |
| expressive challenges found among many | | | | for links to these and other |
| different types of boys. | | | | organizations that can provide more |
| By all means have your child | | | | information about Autism, Asperger's |
| professionally evaluated if you have | | | | Syndrome, and other child development |
| serious concerns. But make sure the | | | | concerns. If you have questions about a |
| professional you visit understands the | | | | child, please seek qualified |
| psychology of boys, and can tell the | | | | professional advice. Help begins with |
| difference between a syndrome like | | | | accurate diagnosis and early |
| high-functioning autism and something | | | | intervention. |
| more manageable, like a nonverbal | | | | |