Get a 2nd opinion?

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We just had a diagnosis of "possibly very mild autism" (Asperger's) made for my 2 plus year old son. He's been in early intervention and is nearly 3 years old. The doctor who made the diagnosis is one of the author's of a book on Asperger's. Still, he didn't exactly seem confident in the diagnosis. I'm happy to get my son extra help but I'm wondering if there's any benefit in getting a 2nd opinion from another neurologist. My wife and I have always taken him to his therapies (he gets physical therapy, occ therapy and speech therapy) when they are not in the home and he's already in evaluateion for CPSE in our school district.

Brian
(A very involved father)

It's hard for a doctor to be confident in diagnosing a 2 year old with asperger's, I'd think, because of the young age. Even if he does have AS (and doctors usually don't diagnose people with AS unless there is a reason to), my suggestion is to treat him as you would any normal kid. Don't blame behavior problems on Asperger's, but also don't use Asperger's as an excuse for any behavior. Also, try to motivate him just as you would motivate any normal kid (in a positive way).

As for getting a 2nd opinion, go ahead. But even if the 2nd doctor decides that your son doesn't have AS, the first doctor could still have made a correct diagnosis.

When my son was two he was speaking in sentences while still wearing diapers. He said his first sentence (Airplane in the sky) when he was 14 months old. He was giving me driving directions by age two (still has a phenomenal memory at 9) and got very, very irritated when people skipped words, sentences or pages in his favorite books before he was even a year old.

We just thought we had a really smart kid. It wasn't until pre-school that we started noticing he wasn't doing well in group situations. When we did finally realize things were really strange, he was finishing kindergarten at a private school. His doctor (who wrote a book on ADHD) diagnosed him.

He was nine before AS was mentioned and it fits him - right down to the tantrums he has always had. At least now we know a little more about what's going on and feel better equipped to handle the situations. Learn what you can about AS and then wait to see if it fits your child as he grows. I don't think I'd pursue a second opinion at this age. I'd be more like, oh, okay, thank you very much and then go home and read about it and wait to see what happens.

It's wonderful that you are so involved in your child's care. If your insurance will pay for a 2nd opinion it wouldn't hurt to get one. But remember, you have a child and are dealing with a set of behaviors, with or without a diagnosis. Diagnosis is mostly a help with the school system for special programing (which helps a lot). It also helps if you want to tell the child his diagnosis so he can understand how he is different and how he can learn to adapt (that helps a lot too!). Good luck!