Early detection and diagnosis of autism can never be overemphasized. It can go a long way toward transforming autistic children into neurotypicals.
Many autistic children are placed on a waiting list and miss out on early behavioral interventions and other benefits because professionals are often reluctant to diagnose early.
Autism, until very recently, was considered a lifelong disability and recurred in almost every definition of the eye. Therefore, the diagnosis was deliberately delayed even if all symptoms were present. The reason was to ensure that the children were stable at the time of diagnosis and did not change over time. In many cases, the diagnosis was delayed for years.
Lately, there has been increasing evidence disproving the belief that autism is lifelong. Studies have shown that many children diagnosed with autism no longer require therapy and no longer meet diagnostic criteria.
A recent data analysis of 18,500 autistic children revealed that those diagnosed before the age of five are more likely to have experienced health and developmental problems when they were as young as nine months than those not on the autism spectrum. At the age of three, the children had more communication, motor and sensory problems, and worsening social and emotional health.
The findings of the importance and desirability of an early diagnosis have been confirmed in several studies carried out on children who have siblings with autism. These children are considered to be prone to developing autism and many of them showed signs such as lack of social engagement and repetitive behaviors.
The harmful long-term consequences of a late diagnosis of autism and the lack of prompt intervention have been highlighted in several studies. Most adults who have autism, diagnosed when they were six years old, have a largely constant IQ when they are over 40 years old. Nearly a quarter of these adults cannot be tested because they do not develop language. abilities above those of three-year-olds and also engage in self-injurious and aggressive behavior. This is diametrically opposite to the result of early Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy performed in the US.
The prevalence of autism in the US is about 3.5 percent among 12-year-olds. ABA therapy is not always available. So what chance do these kids have when they turn 40?
Most autistic children become adults with autism, and the challenges increase with age. Much remains to be done to improve their abilities and improve their quality of life through early diagnosis and intensive care. Delaying diagnosis due to outdated and poorly reasoned ideas is no longer an option.
