How is Autism Diagnosed

Autism diagnoses are different than most diagnoses of other disorders. It may take doctors years to finally gather up enough evidence for the diagnoses of autism. Parents usually are suspect long before the diagnoses is given because they can see that the child may not give them eye contact or that the communication process that the child has learned has started to regress after the first year and a half or so of life. The average age for diagnoses in this country is between the age of two and three and that is where the symptoms start to manifest themselves.

The difficulty in the diagnosis of autism is mainly due to the developmental changes a child goes through during the first three years of life. When a child is developing quickly the nuances of communication and social behavior may elude doctors or even parents who are not specifically watching their child for autism. The pattern of a child's development is ever changing and without a close eye and experience, the onslaught of autism is almost impossible to catch. Even the slightest social blunder may be that the child just has some odd quirks and the line between these quirks and minor autism is a very thin one.

Only the judgment of the doctor is the determining factor to label a child autistic. Some autistic children have gone through their entire life with the label of emotionally disabled or behaviorally challenged. Many doctors stay away from this label because of the emotional impact on the parents or care providers and the chance of lawsuits if the label causes adverse reactions later in life. There are no medical tests that can be administered that would clearly define autism. The doctor's opinion is the only thing that will label a child and put them in a category among special needs that hasn't even really been defined or researched much.

The criterion for autism is determined by a panel of doctors who compare related cases and find a common symptom. Though the criterion is sketchy at best, right now it is the only way some doctors can comfortably make a diagnosis. Most clinicians and medical personal use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders to classify autism and the basic guidelines only include the manifestations of communication use and social behavior. Another guideline that is usually diagnosed as compulsive behavior is the constant vigilance toward established patterns or norms.

The autistic child will find their comfort zone in a specific path they will walk around their house or at school. They may be schedule oriented in which they will follow a specific schedule and will refuse to deviate from it. If a autistic child is made to change their pattern they will lose control of emotions and behavior. Behavior exhibited could be uncontrolled anger to verbal confrontation of an unpleasant manner. The need to follow the specific pattern in built into their system as a way to deal with an ever changing world.

The one thing that the criterion does not cover is the fixation on certain things. Some autistic children can memorize entire books if it is something that they really like. One autistic boy in Wyoming could recite the entire series of Dr. Seuss books. He would recite the entire book including the title and reference sections.