Perhaps your child's preschool teacher or a babysitter has started to notice odd behaviors in your child. Maybe you're concerned, too. From what you've heard, you think it might be autism. So you call the local autism clinic or
developmental pediatrician. And you learn you need to wait at least 10 months for an opening. This is not unusual, as more and more parents become aware of the
"red flags" that could lead to an autism diagnosis.
Why Diagnosis Is Important:
Autism is not, in itself, dangerous to your child's health - and there are no immediate risks if you don't treat it right away. But your child may not be autistic at all - she may have another issue that could and should be treated immediately. If she is autistic, early intervention is very important. In addition, an official autism diagnosis can be the ticket to free, appropriate treatment and education for your child.
But My Child Needs Treatment Now:
It's certainly true that most experts recommend early intervention. In fact, some experts feel that even the youngest toddlers with signs of autism could benefit from treatment. The truth is, though, that unless you have a special "in" with the right doctors or clinic, you will have to wait. The good news is, there are appropriate "do it yourself" therapies that you can implement right now - for free or at low-cost - while you wait for a diagnosis.
Choose Developmental Therapy:
While there are a variety of biomedical and behavioral approaches to treating autism, these are not "do it yourself" options. What's more, there are real potential problems in such treatments if your child is not autistic after all.
Developmental therapies, however, such as Floortime, Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) and play therapy are not only helpful for kids with autism, they also are appropriate and fun for any child.
Floortime: Play Therapy You Can Do Yourself:
The most significant core deficits of autism are social and communication delays. These can be improved through intensive parent-child interaction that feels a lot like play. I recommend parents pick up
Engaging Autism by Stanley Greenspan and give the Floortime program a whirl. Use videos and the listserv to build your understanding of how the program works. You can choose to find and pay a therapist, but you can also choose to implement the program on your own.
Find Help Through Structured Developmental Therapies:
If you're really concerned about your undiagnosed child but don't fancy yourself a therapist, there are several more structured pay-as-you-go options for early intervention. RDI is a well-regarded program that involves experienced consultants and parent training programs. Son-Rise is very intense, but does offer a lot of training and parent support. Clinic-based developmental programs are drop-off options that rarely require a diagnosis.
Find Parent Support Groups:
Even if your child is undiagnosed, there's some reason you're concerned. And now is a good time to find parent support groups in your area. Whether or not your child is finally diagnosed with autism, these groups can provide a listening ear. Just as importantly, they can offer resources, advice, and often opportunities for playdates, information about schools, and much more.
Keep Your Anxiety in Check:
Waiting for a diagnosis is stressful. It's important to bear in mind, however, that the diagnosis itself won't change your child, you, or your relationship. All it will do is provide better services and direction as you move forward. Meanwhile, your child is still the same person you've always loved - and will be that same person even with (or without!) a label.
Put on the Brakes:
If you're reading a lot about autism on the web, you may be tempted to leap into multiple interventions without a diagnosis. This is not a good idea. Most of the therapies developed for children with autism are (or may be) appropriate ONLY for children with autism. Behavioral or biomedical treatments could actually be harmful to a child who turns out to have completely different issues. Autistic-like behaviors in a very young child can come from a wide variety of causes.
