Insight
Diagnosing Autism
| SBS
Are we getting autism diagnosis right? When a child is slow to walk and talk, alarm bells can start to ring for mums and dads who know instinctively that something is not right. In many cases, concerned parents are comforted by doctors who say it's nothing serious and all children develop at different rates. And perhaps the child goes on to grow up normally. But for some children, these developmental delays can be the first signs of something that can stay with them for life.
Getting an autism diagnosis can be a confronting experience for a child. The impact of an autism diagnosis is also felt by parents. For some, it's a welcomed answer to difficult behaviour or even aggression from their child in their early years. For other parents, it's a devastating prospect that their child may not be like other children, and their doctors don't really know why. For some, an autism diagnosis is the only way to get much needed funding for their child's needs. This week Insight looks at what an autism diagnosis actually means - for individuals, for families, for clinicians, and for the healthcare system.