what is wrong with pediatricians!
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| I have had 2 friends tell me stories this week about 2 year olds who have no language, no babbling, no eye contact, no response to name and stimming. Guess what their pediatricians said - Let's wait and see, he's probably just a late talker. This literally makes me want to cry. What is wrong with them? My own pediatrician told me wait and see on our son although in truth he had very mild signs. He was not dx'd until almost 4. I have seen first hand what changes occur when you get a 18 month old into therapy, I'm not sure if our baby will even qualify for an autism dx. in the future. Why why why do they not change this "screening process" in their well baby visits. I hate to say it but well baby visits are designed to get you into the doctor a bunch of times ($$$$ for them) and not about preventative medicine. It makes me sick and I want to do something about it but I don't know what to do. How do you find the time and energy to advocate for awareness etc when you have 2 kids in many hours of therapy? Thank goodness these people told the parents what they thought and now the kids are in therapy. What can we do about this to get earlier detection. I don't think relying on the AAP is going to do it. I don't actually believe they have the best interests of our children at the forefront.From what I have experienced and heard from other people, the majority of ped's wouldn't know autism if they tripped over it. I have met one who can tell within 5 minutes with a child in most cases, but I think she is in the minority and unfortunately her way with people is terrible. Sharlet's ped helped dx her 1.5 years ago at 2.2 years old and then said "ok I will see her when she starts school then" I darn near fell off my chair but that's pretty much the way round here from what I have experienced anyway. Guess what my ped told me when Eli was almost 3.... "well, he's a very bright child and sometimes smart kids are a little different." Can you believe that?? Do they not want to go through the trouble of a referral or screening? Do they think all mom's overreact? I recently went to an Asperger's confernce with Tony Attwood and he went through asking who was in attendance...moms? teachers? etc....then he said " ok I'll ask this one although I've yet to have someone raise their hand...any pediatricians?" Of course there were none!! Do they not receive the proper training to see these things in our kids?? Are they too busy to keep up on things?? I think it should be mandatory that they attend some sort of training to catch these warning signs a couple times year or something. so frustrating!! liza It is frustrating...and then, at least around here, I know you need a referral from your ped. to see a doctor that would actually dx a child! Something really does need to be done about this...I mean everyone in the world knows that 1:150 children have ASD, what is it going to take to make them start diagnosing this and treating it immediately! Mom's have this amazing ability to know if it's just a child that is a late bloomer, or if there is something seriously wrong...but we just don't get the respect that we deserve. It's heartbreaking! You know what, I was telling a Ped (but another type of specialist) that T is ASD ... and he said -- WOULD YOU BELIEVE -- "I'd never've suspected. She's so BRIGHT." SIGH. For one thing, General Peds training (and I work in a med school) is mostly targeted at REASSURING parents! So that is the prevailing attitude in the practice. Each specialty has its culture, and that is theirs. So ... we gotta work around them. Nice folks, mean well.
Hello all. My experience was very similar. It was a little more intersting as my son had seen the same ped since his date of birth....progressed normally and shut down at 18 months two weeks after his MMR. He lost all his words, lost eye contact and simply dropped out of the game for close to 6 months. Each visit, I was told it was a stage...I was overreacting, I should stay off the internet, Needless to say, I switched Docs. I am now going to a family Doc (GP) who surfs the net, is well informed, attends conferences and is anti vaccine schedule (not anti vaccine) This Doc has offered us outside assistance in any way and recently wrote a DX of autism on a school paper (although he cannot officially DX). He is a yonger man and only did his post grad 5 years ago. He learned NOTHING about autism while in school. His patients are the ones who led him to learn more. As I have said in previous posts, the medical community at large has dropped the ball on this issue. In my state, you must have a medical DX in order to qualify for wrap around services (extra SP/OT and ABA). The waiting lists are inexcusable. By the time I get seen by a specialist who can DX....my son will have finished his first year of school, ST, OT and missed a crucial time when ABA therapy would be helpful. So many people are in this position and often, worse. 18 months waiting lists....and not another doctor who can offer assitance? Time is of the essence...right? Then, when you finally get the DX...out the door you go. Back to the school district to provide them with the "professional's" opinion. So the EDUCATORS can offer services for the MEDICAL DX. The educational system has taken this issue on their backs, while the docs are left 2 blocks behind , scratching their heads wondering why some of their patients never return. I am not bitter and I am not posting this to say ME ME ME. There are too many stories like the ones Cat posted. There are too many stories like mine. DOCTORS....WAKE UP. THE AUTSIM TRAIN IS LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!
[QUOTE=emerald_521]We definitely need more doctors like yours WiMom! [/QUOTE] He is a good doctor. However, he never once mentioned the possibility of autism. He is a doctor who pays attention to developmental delays and knows about available resources, like Birth to Three or EI. All he gave me was a phone number scribbled on a piece of paper, but that at least got the ball rolling. Brendon's original pediatrician was more of a look in the ears and squeeze the belly type of guy. He would not listen to me at all about delays with my son. I switched pediatricians and within 2 months had a diagnosis of PDD. First there was a hearing test to do. The first doctor, the younger doctor in the office, wanted to take a wait and see attitude. The next visit we saw his mother, the older more experienced doctor. She diagnosed B that day with PDD. Jacob on the other hand, I haven't been seeking a medical diagnosis for yet. We're going totally educational evals with him right now. I'm trying to wait to go for a medical diagnosis until after I can get him some life insurance. I know that once you have that medical diagnosis, life insurance is impossible to get for our kids.I definately agree with you on this one. Pediatricians sometimes act like they don't even know what to look for when it comes to Autism. What is the deal with it??? WE know what is going on with our kids on a daily basis-- THEY do not; isn't that WHY our kids have scheduled checkups??????? My idea of a checkup is to make sure the child is "on track" in all aspects of their lives, and they need to listen and take what parent's say into consideration. J (my daycare child) doesn't even go to a "pediatrician", but a Nurse Practicioner(spelling? sorry!). I am so frustrated that his parents won't change doctors. I don't think the lady even did the in office screenings on J. She just said he is doing fine. He is 2 and has all kinds of red flags! But, that's where it sucks for me-- I can't do any thing about it. Bless his little heart. I don't even think children should be able to only see a nurse practicioner just for this reason. Sorry for ranting! If anyone knows HOW we can change this please let me know and I'll be right there to help!!! A friend of my sister actually has had the same thing happen. Her friends and family spent like 6 months telling her that her 3 year old son had something going on (In my opinion classic autism)So she finally takes him to the clinic nurse and she tells her "oh he seems ok, a bit behind but boys talk later than girls" All her family and friends are so pissed. I think untrained doctors, ped's and clinic nurses can be very dangerous and can set back dx and intervention and time that can't be gotten back can be wasted. If in any doubt these people should know to refer!! I totally agree with what everyone is saying here. My Pediatrician basically "dismissed" all my concerns with the ole, "oh, he's a boy, boys are slower than girls, plus being a twin is probably holding his language back". At that point I was in such denial, that his words were actually reassuring to me. Unfortunately, they also set me back a year in pursuing a diagnosis. UGH! I mean, these docs spend MANY MANY years in school. They're generally smart and persistent. How hard would it be for them to memorize two pages of DSM-IV criteria. For crying out loud, they've managed to memorize virtually every aspect of the human body. Heck, even I could manage to memorize the DSM-IV criteria given a day or two. The medical community, actually, more appropriate the medical schools needs to get on the stick here and start teaching this stuff. These Peds are the front-line for most us parents. Their lack of knowledge about autism is unacceptable. I PRESSED a doctor I had a good relationship with when my son was little. She was his neurologist, so he was already dx'd. It was not she who had hesitated to help. Anyway, she eventually said that doctors' waiting offices are packed. Many kids don't hit milestones at exactly the time expected. If the docs wait awhile, many kids develop their way out of the delays. Hence, less clogged waiting rooms. Also, I have two more reasons...1, MOST pediatricians are like mechanics for kids' bodies. They know the parts and how they work and if they're in good condition or not. Development, however, is not about body parts. It's about the mind. Typical pediatricians really are NOT schooled in the mind. They just want the BODY to be healthy. That's why a pediatrician is more likely to be worried about a child who walks late than talks late. I also think that NO ONE wants to be the FIRST ONE to say "autism." Also, there's always the hope that the child will "outgrow" the delay before the doctor has to take it upon himself. Anyway, this is what an old doc said and what I've observed. NONE of them seem concerned about the issue of getting intervention as early as feasible.Thanks guys! I am going to go print this thread out and give it to mypediatrician. I urge you all to do the same!  great idea mamakat!!My pediatrician still maintains that my boys are JUST too smart and that I should be saving all the money we are "wasting" on therapies for their Harvard tuitions  ...will he support them when they are older and can't hold a job if you discontinue the therapies now? I am such a devil's advocate...that is probably something that I WOULD say to my pediatrician if they said that to me.
Our original Ped dismissed me. I started asking at Nick's 15 month check up and he just kept blowing it off with excuses. At Nick's 18 month check up I asked again and was told again to wait until he was at least 2. When he was 21 months old I got tired of waiting and changed Peds. His new doctor spent the first 5 min just trying to engage him and then said to me, "He needs to be evaluated." She was a blessing to my family!!! When I suspected our youngest son, Max, of having delays she also saw him and he was only 11 months old. But then she stopped practicing and moved out of state.  The next Ped we saw I mentioned that Nick had ASD and she said to me, "well you know that's not a "real" diagnosis." I was like  get me outta here!! I never went back to her.Anthony's ped dismissed our concerns with: he's a boy, he's the second child and big brother is talking for him, he's smart..... We knew nothing about Early Intervention and she of course didn't tell us about it. So 6 precious months went by before I brought him back and wouldn't let it drop so she gave us a referal for a speech evaluation. The ST practically dx'd him herself (and I think she was about 25 years old compared to a pediatrican with 25 years in practice). This was right around his 3rd birthday so we completely missed out on EI. I just started researching stuff myself and found a pediatric neuropsychologist that specialized in autism and that got the ball rolling. I'm sorry to see so many parents experiencing the same problem. I hope some changes get made and screening for autism is actually done during routine checkups. I think you would literally have to live under a rock to not know about autism these days! You would think doctors would need to keep up on these things! I do have to admit our nurse practitioner is really good at the office I go to. She is the one who brought up evaluation to us the first time.Frankly, I prefer nurse practitioners when I get the choice because I find they typically WILL answer questions. However, for autism issues, I want a relationship DIRECTLY with the psychiatrist. And that's how it works around here. I ALWAYS get a full 45 minutes of his attention.Hi everyone Devin's Dr was right on the ball, She noticed his delays ans sent him to Easter Seals for an evaluation. They inturn set up an appt with a specialist in Chicago, who gave him his dx. Then Easter Seals started him on his theraphys. right afterwards. He was 18 months when he got the dx. He was to age out at 3 yrs but they extended his theraphys until he gets into school, they are even going to the school to help him find the right school for his needs. NO COMPLAINTS HERE I wish all the Drs were that good, then all our kids would get the help they so need Mona, Grandma to Devin 3 yrs ASD / SID So if they don't want to spend the time or money on referrals or evaluating things themselves...how hard would it be for them to hand a parent a handout/checklist and say "read this and write down everything that happens for 3weeks and then bring it all back". They wouldn't hardly have to do any of the work then...just take a look at the 3wks worth of info and refer them.It really can't be that hard....why are they all so stubborn? Our 15 mos old daughter had a developmental and language assessment and was found to be at about 9-10 mos developmentally for social/emotional/cognitive/language skills. Our ped was offended that we even called Early Intervention. She even argued with me that dd was just fine. It was very disappointing. I am my daughter's only advocate. You should have seen the ped when I told her I was uncomfortable giving her her vaccines until I did more research! It took 4 years and several different pediatricians until I took things into my own hands and made an appointment with a dev ped to get my dd diagnosed. At 10 months old she was hospitalized with FTT. She banged her head all the time. She had muscle hyptonia, she walked late. She had barely any functional language at 2. Poor fine motor skills. Very little eye contact. She was so obviously on the spectrum. At one point I even told one of the peds, "she has autism", they dismissed me.What was even more offensive is that they actually had the nerve to blame her issues on me. They said that her behaviors were caused by neglect and called CPS on me!  Now, I practice attachment parenting, my dd has always been with me, she has never been neglected. Now, she is 5 years old and was just finally diagnosed a week ago. The dev ped was very upset that the pediatricians never made that call. I think part of the problem is the fact that pediatricians simply haven't been educated in past years of education/training to see the signs unless they are extremely blatant. Those worth their salt are making it a point to find out though, and for that they are to be commended. When Mr. B. was diagnosed, because I had my suspicions and had spent several months observing/researching, I took in the developmental charts I had kept (language, physical, social/cognitive, hearing) , along with a questionnaire I had downloaded and filled out off the internet, and took the M-Chat in her offices. When I initially made the appointment for him, I told them then what my suspicions were, and then faxed over the charts and questionnaire for her to review prior to arriving. When she came into the exam room, she had all of that with her - and every page contained highlighted text. Her comment was she'd never been handed so much information that she didn't need anything else to know. She's taken care of Mr. B. since his birth and felt guilty that she hadn't spotted anything earlier, but then again, she hadn't been looking for it. She's has since begun using the charts and questionnaire as information handouts to her other parents, has gone to the various websites I listed for her as well as others, and is now much better informed as to what is a red flag and what's not. To me, that makes all the difference in the world. |
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