Why do you suspect autism? Depends on the age of the child/ person as to what to look for as possible signs of autism.
Infant to age 1+: no “social” smile that typically occurs about age 6 weeks to 12 weeks of age. Failure to follow parent’s gaze. Does not turn head when name is called. Not able to engage in joint attention tasks with parent. Seems like the child might be deaf as not responsive to parent’s voice. Repetitive behaviors that go on and on without much point. Playing very inappropriately with toys. Very limited interests.
Age 3: child does not put 2 words together. Limited one word vocabulary. Child does not seek parent for comfort. Child prefers objects to people. Ignores parent and does not come when called by parent. Failure do draw; child only scribbles. May count and knows colors and alphabet but the 3 year old is not interested in other children. Many seem “angelic” — very sweet expression and little emotion on their face.
written by Dr. Cameron Jackson, licensed psychoologist DrCameronJackson@gmail.com 831 688-6002
A parent recently said to me, “I wish there was a Dummies book for children with autism….” Well, we have the Internet so alot of what could go into a Dummies type book can go up on the web.
We will call the “book” Autistic Spectrum Disorders for Dummies & Smarties!! You — those who want to — and I will write it. Here we go. This is for families in California who have a child or adult living with the who has autistic spectrum issues.
Index for Autistic Spectrum Disorders for Dummies & Smarties!!
How to Start – suspect autism because?
Parents ARE the Experts
Access to Services
Connecting with other parents
Blogs about Autism
Camcorders, use
Social Networks, Useful?
Like designer jeans, Asperger’s Disorder has become a “hot” diagnosis.
Asperger’s is much more preferred by parents as a diagnosis than a diagnosis of Mental Retardation. Or Autistic Disorder. It’s easy to see why: In Asperger’s Disorder the person’s cognitive I.Q and functional abilities (self care abilities, ability to work) are in the normal range.
In Asperger’s Disorder, only the social abilities are in the Borderline or Deficient range.
One young woman I recently had the opportunity to assess (a young 18 year old with Asperger’s) said that she preferred to learn over the Internet — with her lap top on her bed — so she did not have to interact with people. She views her mother as her best and only friend. She tries to stay “with it” by not showering and having dirty hair — as that is socially acceptable here in Santa Cruz, California. She is right — in Santa Cruz, California dirty hair and rarely washing hair or taking showers is “in”. In certain circles.
written by Dr. Cameron Jackson DrCameronJackson@gmail.com Monterey Bay Forum www.FreedomOK.net
I got this — thank you — from Autism Blogger:
“Storyline on the new NBC sitcom “Parenthood” is raising public awareness of Asperger’s syndrome – at least according to Google searches.
“Asperger’s” (and various misspellings) were among the top Google trends Wednesday morning after the second episode of the hourlong drama, which features a character with Asperger’s, aired Tuesday night.
“Asperger’s is a form of high-functioning autism often characterized by inability to pick up on social cues, heightened sensitivity, and an intense focus on only one or a few interests. Because it is at the low end of the autism spectrum, people without awareness of the condition may assume someone with Asperger’s is simply quirky or socially awkward. (This is not an accurate description of Asperger’s — Dr. Jackson www.FreedomOK.net
On “Parenthood,” parents Adam and Kristina Braverman (played by Peter Krause and Monica Potter) are told their young son Max (played by Max Burkholder) may have Asperger’s, and Adam is seen struggling to connect with his son.
“Parenthood” writer and executive producer Jason Katims has a 13-year-old son with Asperger’s, and has said NBC was “supportive but wary” about the Asperger’s plotline.
“They want to be careful of making something either feel too heavy, or something where you’re not talking to a large enough audience,” Katims told the Newark Star-Ledger.
“My hope would be that it normalizes it,” Katims continued. “So there’s no stigma to it, no mystery to it.”
Cost of illness covered? Someone wrote me that because they have Asperger’s Disorder they cannot get health care coverage.
Curious, I went online to see what I could find. What I learned is that YES there can be an exclusionary period (up to a year typically) wherein you pay premiums and the conditions for which you received care during the six months before joining are excluded. So if you sought treatment for Asperger’s Disorder and received care in the six months before then you could not get costs incurred for that condition for the first 12 months of coverage. So YES you have to pay out of pocket for costs for up to a year. But that is not for ever. It is simply for one, long year. See below info: written by Dr. Cameron Jackson Monterey Bay Forum www.FreedomOK.net
“A pre-existing condition can affect your health insurance coverage. If you are applying for insurance, some health insurance companies may accept you conditionally by providing a pre-existing condition exclusion period.
Although the health plan has accepted you and you are paying your monthly premiums, you may not have coverage for any care or services related to your pre-existing condition. Depending on the policy and your state’s insurance regulations, this exclusion period can range from six to 18 months.
For example: Lori S. is a 48 year old woman who works as a freelance writer. She has high blood pressure that is well controlled on two medications. She recently decided to purchase her own health insurance that included drug coverage. The only affordable health plan she could find had a 12-month exclusion period for her high blood pressure. For the first 12 months of her policy, all of her claims (including doctor visits and medications) related to her high blood pressure were denied. However, within that first year of coverage, she also got the flu and a urinary tract infection – both of which were completely covered because they were not pre-existing conditions.
If you are getting insurance at your job, depending on your employer and the health plans offered, you may have a pre-existing exclusion period. However, the exclusion period is limited to 12 months (18 months if you enrolled late in the health plan) and only applies to health conditions for which you sought treatment in the 6 months before you enrolled in the health plan.
An excellent guide to local resources is the Perinatal Resource Guide, Santa Cruz County 2010. It is developed and revised by Family Health Unit and Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Unit, Health Services Agency. For more information call (831) 454-4331 or email nancy.diehl@health.co.santa-cruz.ca.us
To see how to use it, I put myself in the shoes of a parent who is concerned about possible developmental delays. But not exactly sure as to what kind of delay.
In the Index at the back Under Special Needs (Children With) is listed San Andreas Regional Center. In that same category are: California Children’s Services, Special Education Local Plan Agency (SELPA) and Special Parents Information Network (SPIN).
It would be helpful if San Andreas Regional Center was also cross listed under Children Services — where SPIN and CCS are also cross listed. Through the Early Start services many, many children with suspected delays receive services from age 0 to age three.
Another appropriate cross listing for San Andreas Regional Center is Parent Education/ Support Services. For over age two children who do not have a 50 percent delay in one area there is parent education and support through the Prevention Program.
Perhaps in the 2011 edition of Perinatal Resource Guide a new listing could be included: Internet resources and blogs that provide useful information for Santa Cruz County. On that list might be this blog — Monterey Bay Forum — http://www.FreedomOK.net which provides free screening for autism and discussion of local health and other issues.
written by Cameron Jackson, Ph.D., J.D. DrCameronJackson@gmail.com
One rating scale based on parent report is the Ages and Stages Questonaire.
The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder screening test. Pervasive Developmental Disorders are a group of disorders including autism, asperger’s disorder and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specififed (PDD-NOS).
The ASQ has nineteen variations. The variation selected is based on the child’s age.
The ASQ variations cover ages between four (4) and sixty (60) months old. It focus on the child’s abilities in the areas of: communication, motor skills, social skills and problem solving.
Parents responses on the ASQ determine whether their child should receive further evaluation.
How to get it:
The Ages and Stages questionnaire can be bought at:http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/bricker-asq/
