TY - GEN
T1 - Seeing asd signs? Speak up
T2 - SLPs are uniquely positioned to recognize the earliest signs of autism spectrum disorder and to guide caregivers through an often-difficult diagnostic journey
AU - Roberts, Megan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. All rights reserved.
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - During speech-language pathologist Jamie’s first visit with 24-month-old Victor, she notices that he isn’t making eye contact, doesn’t communicate very often, and immerses himself in lining up toy cars on the carpet. Jamie knows these are signs of autism, but she also knows that his initial evaluation report didn’t mention autism spectrum disorder (ASD), only that he had significant language delays. One day, Victor’s mother asks why his language is delayed. Though Jamie suspects ASD, she balks at using the panic-inducing word too early with families. So she says there are many reasons for language delay, but right now it’s important to focus on helping Jamie. A year later, Victor receives a diagnosis of ASD from a multi-disciplinary diagnostic team. Victor’s mother has trouble accepting the diagnosis. She knows that he has trouble talking, but he enjoys giving hugs and playing with his older sister. He can’t have autism! Talking with his mother, Jamie says she believes the diagnosis is accurate because she has seen signs of ASD in Victor. His mother is surprised that Jamie never discussed these concerns with her. What is the result of Jamie not discussing signs of ASD with Victor’s mother? His diagnosis is delayed by a year, which also delays his access to a host of ASD-specific treatments, from pivotal response treatment (PRT) to applied behavior analysis (ABA) to Floortime to, of course, intensive speech-language treatment.
AB - During speech-language pathologist Jamie’s first visit with 24-month-old Victor, she notices that he isn’t making eye contact, doesn’t communicate very often, and immerses himself in lining up toy cars on the carpet. Jamie knows these are signs of autism, but she also knows that his initial evaluation report didn’t mention autism spectrum disorder (ASD), only that he had significant language delays. One day, Victor’s mother asks why his language is delayed. Though Jamie suspects ASD, she balks at using the panic-inducing word too early with families. So she says there are many reasons for language delay, but right now it’s important to focus on helping Jamie. A year later, Victor receives a diagnosis of ASD from a multi-disciplinary diagnostic team. Victor’s mother has trouble accepting the diagnosis. She knows that he has trouble talking, but he enjoys giving hugs and playing with his older sister. He can’t have autism! Talking with his mother, Jamie says she believes the diagnosis is accurate because she has seen signs of ASD in Victor. His mother is surprised that Jamie never discussed these concerns with her. What is the result of Jamie not discussing signs of ASD with Victor’s mother? His diagnosis is delayed by a year, which also delays his access to a host of ASD-specific treatments, from pivotal response treatment (PRT) to applied behavior analysis (ABA) to Floortime to, of course, intensive speech-language treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067085725&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85067085725&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1044/leader.FTR1.24042019.46
DO - 10.1044/leader.FTR1.24042019.46
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85067085725
SN - 1085-9586
VL - 24
SP - 46
EP - 55
JO - ASHA Leader
JF - ASHA Leader
ER -