Parents are sometimes disappointed with the level of care that they get from their pediatrician when it comes to evaluating or managing their child with autism. Unfortunately, as primary care doctors, many pediatricians do not have a lot of training or experience treating children with autism. Instead, as with other complex disorders, they might refer the child to a specialist for further management, such as a pediatric neurologist, child psychologist, child psychiatrist, and/or developmental pediatrician.
Some extra help is on the way for pediatricians from the American Academy of Pediatrics though, which is publishing a new autism toolkit later this year. Their Caring for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resource Toolkit for Clinicians should help pediatricians feel more comfortable recognizing and managing children with autism.
Until then, some tips to help you when discussing autism with your pediatrician include that:
- you schedule a separate appointment to discuss your concerns about autism, instead of simply bringing it up at another appointment when your child is sick with a cold or even at a well child visit when you won't have as much time to talk about your concerns
- you do some research to see which autism specialists are on your insurance plan or consult with your local autism society or nearest Children's Hospital to see which doctors specialize in treating autism in your area
- if your pediatrician suggests a wait and see approach for any minor delays, ask for a specific time frame for when you should be more concerned and should come back for a recheck
- ask for a second opinion if you are not convinced that your child's delays are "nothing to worry about" when you are sure that they are. Keep in mind that in addition to discussing things with your pediatrician, parents who are concerned about their child's development can seek an evaluation from their local Early Childhood Intervention or ECI Program without a referral from their doctor.
It’s heartening to know that the AAP is addressing this issue. In our case, our pediatrician was quite proactive in getting Jack an early diagnosis. I would still be cleaning the sand out of my ears if it weren’t for her gently pulling my head out of it.
The area where she did fall short was in that of treatment. She did refer me to ECI, but in Texas, their services are extremely limited. It would have been helpful if our pediatrician had mentioned at the very least, some evidence-based options for treatment (For example ABA or Floortime.)
Hopefully the toolkit will provide this for our pediatricians.
Judith
http://parents.com/autismville
What we really need from the pediatricians is to calm down on the vaccine schedule.
Too much, too soon, too many toxins to process all at once.
Bravo Anne! And they need to take their blinders off that narrow-minded view that vaccines the best thing that has happened to medicine.