Questioning a Previous Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: Can You “Lose” the Diagnosis?

CASE: Heidi is an almost 6-year-old girl presenting to your primary care office to establish care because of a change in insurance status. You review her previous medical records before seeing her. She was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when she was 25 months old. Her parents were initially concerned about language delay. Through a comprehensive evaluation by a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and a child psychologist, including administration of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, she was diagnosed with ASD. Her cognitive skills were reported to be within the average range. Soon after the diagnosis, she began receiving 20 hours of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) per week, as well as music therapy, occupational therapy, and a toddler playgroup through early intervention. Four months after the initial diagnosis, her parents reported that she had started making small improvements in her behavior, used more eye contact, and seemed more socially engaged. Approximately 1 year after the diagnosis, she was receiving 6 hours of ABA per week in addition to starting preschool with an Individualized Education Program. She reportedly continued to show progress with social communication and pretend play skills. At the age of 3 years, 8 months, neuropsychological testing was completed at her parent's request, and her cognitive skills and adaptive skills were reported to be within the average range. Sh...
Source: Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics - Category: Child Development Tags: Challenging Case Source Type: research