About If you went to your pediatrician with concerns about your child’s persistent cough, you would expect to be asked a number of questions about the cough, to be able to present information about its severity and duration, what triggers the cough, and whether this is the first time your child has had this condition. If the pediatrician told you not to worry about the cough, but it lingered or progressed, then you would probably do some research on your own, schedule a follow-up appointment, ask for a referral to a specialist, seek a second opinion, or some combination of these approaches.
Approaching your pediatrician with concerns about your child’s development or your concern about whether your child could be autistic should not be any different.
If your pediatrician has told you not to worry about your autism-related concerns, then follow up with research of your own. Find developmental checklists to see whether your child is meeting the milestones for his or her age. If your pediatrician has not performed a routine developmental screening, then ask for one. Monitor your child’s behavior at home to determine whether you can detect any specific developmental delays.
Once you have determined these specifics, ask for a follow-up appointment in which you can bring these concerns to your pediatrician’s attention. The more specific detail you have, the better. Your pediatrician sees your child far less frequently than you do, so you’re the expert here.
While pediatricians can assess a child’s development, an autism diagnosis is made only after much more in-depth assessment by a specialist. If you are concerned that your pediatrician may be missing some of the signs about which you are concerned, ask for a referral to a specialist who can perform more in-depth testing.
You may feel uncomfortable questioning your child’s physician, but remember that you are the expert on your child and his or her behavior. You are your child’s strongest advocate, so if you know that “don’t worry” isn’t working for you, then don’t be afraid to push for additional testing, referrals, or a second opinion regarding your concerns. Early intervention makes a tremendous difference in the lives of children with autism. Without early diagnosis, however, early intervention cannot start.