Could ASD be missed?

[Deleted]

XP on TCF

My oldest was tested by EI as a toddler and was not found to be on the spectrum. She had a significant speech delay and a developmental delay. As she's gotten older she got an Auditory Processing Disorder Dx, but it doesn't explain other characteristics that point to ASD. Could that early eval have missed it?

I should note she just tested out of her IEP and speech. She's a straight A student and is reading on a 4th grade level in 2nd grade so they've washed their hands of her. She suffers socially and it's concerning since we moved schools two years ago following my divorce.

ETA: along with the social issues, she's noted to be "defiant" by the school psychologist who observed and re-evaluated her for her IEP, which we lost. She also "stims" vocally and with her hair flips and she's getting conduct hits because of it.

[jenna]

My youngest has ASD. EI missed it (we had him evaluated by EI because he had a speach delay.)

It was his preschool teacher that suggested we see a developmental pediatrician who was able to give us a diagnosis.

[jenna]

Dup post

[ellipses84]

Yes, absolutely, get a second opinion. It can be very easy to misdiagnose that young. I have two relatives who were diagnosed, one with Aspergers and one with Pervasive Development Disorder, between ages 8 and 10, despite early intervention and other diagnoses. Both were diagnosed with ADHD and speech issues early on. One does not actually have ADHD which explained why the meds never seemed to help him. Trust your mommy instinct and keep pushing as an advocate for your daughter.

[Deleted]

Thanks so much, ladies!

It looks like our closest DP is 2 hours away. As soon as I get her EI records, I'll be making an appt.

[lizard1131]

Yes, this is what happened to DD. She was 'too pretty' and 'too friendly' to have ASD. All her therapists and even pedi said this. We also traveled over 2 hours to see a dev pedi. it was well worth it. I'm sorry you are faced with this. I think girls with ASD are a by and large forgotten population.

[auntie]

Feb 12, 2016 9:11:59 GMT -5 swizz said:

Feb 10, 2016 13:14:14 GMT -5 lizard1131 said:

Yes, this is what happened to DD. She was 'too pretty' and 'too friendly' to have ASD. All her therapists and even pedi said this. We also traveled over 2 hours to see a dev pedi. it was well worth it. I'm sorry you are faced with this. I think girls with ASD are a by and large forgotten population.

ASD can also present in girls much differently -- they often seem more social and friendly than boys on the spectrum. The SLP at her EI evaluation kept saying that she had no separation anxiety or difficulty interacting with her (an adult) so there's "no way" she could be on the spectrum. Unfortunately, her daycare teacher, her pedi, and DH and I suspect enough that we're getting her evaluated by a devi pedi (she's almost 2.5 so still pretty young). 

I side-eye this so hard. 

This is why they don't let SLPs make the call on ASD.

What an idiot. On one end of the spectrum kids very much want to connect socially but prefer adults because they are reliably more indulgent and therefore safer. A few brighter kids with ASD who have more arcane interests often self-identify as adults. On the other end, face blindness or greater impairment can lead to a child who processes adults as tools to get their needs met with no real preference for a parent over a stranger. 

DS always spent his time at preschool or even summer camp chatting up the teacher or counselor if allowed to.

[osulori]

Feb 12, 2016 16:52:38 GMT -5 swizz said:

Feb 12, 2016 14:28:47 GMT -5 auntie said:

I side-eye this so hard. 

This is why they don't let SLPs make the call on ASD.

What an idiot. On one end of the spectrum kids very much want to connect socially but prefer adults because they are reliably more indulgent and therefore safer. A few brighter kids with ASD who have more arcane interests often self-identify as adults. On the other end, face blindness or greater impairment can lead to a child who processes adults as tools to get their needs met with no real preference for a parent over a stranger. 

DS always spent his time at preschool or even summer camp chatting up the teacher or counselor if allowed to.

Oh, I totally did too. Also, why I ignored her assurance, lol. SLPs shouldn't be diagnosing ASD and I think it's unfortunate that they're even attempting.

As an SLP that stuff drives me nuts too. It was a recurring theme of the ASD class I took in grad school-SLPS DON'T DIAGNOSE ASD.  We can give our opinion on if we see certain red flags but the ultimate dx? Nope nope nope.

[osulori]

Feb 19, 2016 11:08:26 GMT -5 swizz said:

Feb 19, 2016 9:31:46 GMT -5 osulori said:

As an SLP that stuff drives me nuts too. It was a recurring theme of the ASD class I took in grad school-SLPS DON'T DIAGNOSE ASD.  We can give our opinion on if we see certain red flags but the ultimate dx? Nope nope nope.

As an update, I found out yesterday, she's not even an SLP. She was the "qualified" pre-screener. She has a master's in education with a special ed focus. 

So even more not qualified to dx autism...awesome.  The EI model a lot of states/counties have adopted with having kids screened and/or evaluated by someone that doesn't specialize in that area drives me up a damn wall.

[anyastroud]

.

[lizard1131]

Apr 5, 2016 9:50:11 GMT -5 anyastroud said:

Feb 10, 2016 13:14:14 GMT -5 lizard1131 said:

Yes, this is what happened to DD. She was 'too pretty' and 'too friendly' to have ASD. All her therapists and even pedi said this. We also traveled over 2 hours to see a dev pedi. it was well worth it. I'm sorry you are faced with this. I think girls with ASD are a by and large forgotten population.

wtf does that  even mean?!?!? my daughter is beautiful, like kiddie model material. She also has ASD that was missed because her pcp sucks. 

Just some of the bullshit we ran into. As if only 'unattractive' kids could possibly be on the spectrum LOLZ!

[liveintheville]

L didn't even qualify for EI when he was younger. We suspected later on and had him tested by a neuropsychologist where he was dx ASD. We now have a developmental pedi who has been very helpful.