Controversy over universal screening of Autistic children

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Autism rates balloon, but controversy remains over universal screening of children Researchers and clinicians in the field alarmed by agency’s recommendation to clinicians that there is not enough science to promote universal screening

Good for the agency for going against conventional wisdom and financial pressure.

We have gone from no interventions to the other extreme. Some people are obviously autistic by age two but Neurotypical toddlers do autistic like things like loving repetition, flapping their hands, having meltdowns. Children are individuals and some are going are to be late hitting the "gold standard" markers

Children especially NT ones from non verbal cues are going to pick up the panic of their parents over missed markers. Autism is not a mental illness but children whose natural development and individuality are stifled by all sorts of therapies are going to develop real mental illnesses.

I think before they introduce universal screening, they should consider the potential harm it could cause. Parents often show a grief reaction to finding out their child has a disability, and parents grieving heavily during the toddler years can cause insecure attachment in their toddlers.

For a parent who already suspects autism, getting a firm answer is probably better than fearing the unknown. But if the parent had no idea, screening could make the parent grieve when the child is younger and more easily disturbed by a change in the parent's behaviour. A kid who is diagnoseable at 2 but whose parents start suspecting when he's 3 or 4 could have a much better opportunity to bond with his parents if he's only diagnosed when the parents start to suspect he's not NT.

That's why I'd like to do some research sometime on the impact of timing of diagnosis on parental grief and children's attachment styles.