Since I have posted this, I have learned that he won't get more services if he is diagnosed Autistic or PDD. So now I am wondering why I should even get a diagnosis?
CARS stands for Childhood Autism Rating Scale.
This is the same test that they did on my ds. EI is who did our assessment and diagnosis. I found them to be very helpful, and very thorough. Their diagnosis was spot on from what the doctor had been thinking.
So IMHO I would let them do the testing and diagnosis. They were able to get my ds what he needed.
Thanks.
He is getting services through EI. If he gets the autism diagnosis, would he get more services?
My ds was sent to Early intervention because of delays. He is now 2 yrs old and everyone at EI is saying it looks more and more like Autism.
I live in NC so they gave me a referral to Teacch. I am told they are the ones to do a diagnosis. I'm not sure what else they do. I called them and they said it will take 2 yrs to get a diagnosis because of the waiting list. I told EI that and they said there is a psychologist on staff that can do it for me. So I said ok.
They are going to use the CARS test. I don't know anything about this, just the name. Is this the test that is typically used?
They gave me, my dh, and his teacher at preschool a form to fill out but most of the things on there pertains to older kids.
I guess I am asking would you let EI do a diagnosis? I always thought you had to go to a dr for that. I want him to get the correct diagnosis.
We went to a neurologist for our diagnosis. I personally would not allow anyone but a doctor to give the diagnosis. Not for the sake of misdiagnosis, but for the extra services that he may not be allowed to get without a medical diagnosis. As well, a medical doctor can ask for blood tests to make sure there's not something medically causing the autism.
If you have insurance, call your pediatrician and ask them to refer you to a developmental pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist. Have them make an appointment. My mother in law works in medical offices and has seen how much faster you get an appointment if your doctor makes it for you.
Also, there are several people here from NC, so they may be able to give you more direct connections.
I would get him to a developmental pediatrician asap so that he can get services. A developemental pediatrician will spend several hours doing a full intensive evaluation and are experts in seeing autism at this age. You may have to find a private one if there is a waiting list...you dont want to waste precious time if he is on the spectrum. Best of luck and keep us posted:)Not sure what to tell you, as I am in TX & EI does NOT give dx's here. Well,
the therapists may say something like: "looks like sensory processing
dysfunction, speak to ped/neuro about this...." etc. I thought the CARS test
was best for 3 & up, but I could be wrong. There is a CHAT checklist, but
that can be rather vague & IMO more appropriate for the 18 mo old. There
are other surveys/questionaires, I'm sure someone here will have those
names.
I guess my other advice would be this: since he is already in EI & getting
services, a dx may not be necessary at this point. Sounds like you are doing
what you would do even if he was dx w/ PDD. You may get a better picture
of things & see changes (closer or farther from spectrum) in the next year.
Welcome to the forum!!!
[QUOTE=mountainflower]Thanks.
He is getting services through EI. If he gets the autism diagnosis, would he get more services?
[/QUOTE]
Yes. Well at least in my experience in California. EI dx'ed my son and the psychologist to dx'ed him recommended maximum services. We were getting 6 hours of services before. We are about to add about 10-20 hours worth of services now.
My son was in EI at 2, after abt 3 months they said the same things you are hearing. I called my ped, they recommended a ped nuero at the Childrens hospital. I had to wait 6 weeks for the appt, and got the DX that day. I have gone from 6 hours pre dx at EI, to now almost 20 and I have the ability to move it to 30 if I want. Good luck!If their diagnosis of autism would lead to an increase in services, than I think you should go forward as soon as possible. Get on the TEACCH waiting list - use it as a third opinion in a few years, or to see how far your child has come. TEACCH doesn't do much for the public these days, but you should schedule an intake appointment nonetheless as they do offer family training type classes with the kids.My son was 1st diagnosed with ASD by a private pediatric neurologist (a neurodevelopmental specialist) at around age two. He started EI servics shortly thereafter. He started public school in the special needs pre-K program at age 2 1/2 with a diagnosis of Developmental Delay, or DD, by the schools' eval. At age 4 I had him evaluated again by a private developmental pediatrician who confirmed classic autism, probably high functioning. I had the schools change his diagnosis to autism from DD for better access to services.My son was diagnosed by a pediatric psychologist that specialized in autism and she used the CARS when he was 2 years and a couple months old. She also re-evaulated with the CARS at age 3. She was very helpful in leading us to appropriate treatments and educational interventions. Our EI was not all that helpful. It depends on your state and the services offered. In same cases it is helpful to get the diagnosis and in others it is not. For instance, our insurance will not cover Speech, PT or OT because of his autism diagnosis. In some states you get many more services because of the diagnosis.
Since my son's evaluation took two years and involved various experts, I'm naturally inclined to be skeptical of diagnosing on the basis of any one test (CARS). However, you are in a different situation since presumably the school district has already done extensive testing to identify and monitor your child's delays.
Whatever you decide, make sure your child is tested for hearing and vision loss, both of which can cause delays and autistic symptoms. Other biomedical tests may also be warranted and would be beyond the scope of the school district (for example, my son had a brain MRI and an EEG).
Good luck with everything.