Is it "easier" to get a diagnosis of autism in the USA than the UK?

[elliejjtiny]

Plonks on Tin hat.

I have 4 dc with asd and have struggled to get diagnosis for all of them, despite it being obvious from a baby with 2 of them and obvious from a toddler with another and their dad having autism.

Someone I follow on Instagram announced that their nearly 2 year old child has been diagnosed with autism. They are in the US. I know I have only seen videos that display a snapshot of their lives but this child runs around at places like the zip etc without reins of holding hands and he talks as you would expect a child that age to talk with one word at a time but quite a few of them. I thought to have a diagnosis of autism at that age was really rare and only for children with severe learning disabilities and non verbal. For context my youngest child still needs to hold hands at times and he is 10 and was diagnosed aged 6.

I don't doubt this child has autism but he sounds like he is the kind of child who the parents would have noticed symptoms but the professionals would say it was too early to tell at this age. Is the criteria different in the US? I'm assuming they have much shorter waiting lists.

£££

I wonder if it’s a true medical diagnosis or just some one suggested or they’ve just made it up.

I just looked on CDC website and it seems like it’s less through assessment which can be done by only one medical professional. They also still seem to use the diagnosis of aspegers and thought most countries had dropped this as a seperate diagnosis.

www.cdc.gov/autism/diagnosis/index.html#:~:text=Diagnosing%20autism%20spectrum%20disorder%20(ASD,behavior%20to%20make%20a%20diagnosis.

Or rather it's $$$ 😁
I have no clue if it's easier but I find watching some of these American YouTubers etc that have children with disabilities that the language around it all seems so old-fashioned (ie using the phrase "handicapped").
Asperger's is seems to still be used a lot.
The views around disabilities just seems different.
I'm not sure why.

@NeedmorelegoAspergers is no longer a diagnosis given in the US. They follow the DSM which in its latest version has levels 1-3 of ASD. The CDC recommends paediatricians screen all chicken for autism as toddlers and I don’t know any that haven’t been screened. It’s often picked up much earlier and early intervention is offered. It’s shameful how late children are diagnosed in the UK. They miss out on so much of a critical window when meaningful help can be given.

@Pices that's good that the name Asperger's isn't the official diagnosis anymore but I do see a lot of online stuff (ie family influencers type ones) use the phrase "Aspie' an awful lot when describing their child.

It’s easier to get diagnosed with just about everything in the US (American here, who thankfully no longer lives there). There’s a lot of financial incentivisation of pharmaceutical prescribing, never mind that if someone is diagnosed with something they’ll have to come see you regularly for follow up. A repeat customer will always make you more money than a one off who you discourage from coming back.

Beyond that, there is a much different culture (related to all the above) for diagnosing children with psychiatric disorders and medicating them. I’m not saying that autism is a “psychiatric disorder” but it will be influenced by a lot of the same factors. In the US, it’s much more common for children, very young ones in primary school, to be diagnosed with serious psychiatric conditions, like schizophrenia or various personality disorders, and put on treatment.

I used to be a child social worker and I remember working with a child once who must have been 6, diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder. I just remember thinking he was so young and probably had experienced so much trauma, but here he was with a label and a lot of meds to make him easier to manage, but not a whole lot else in terms of support and therapy and it just seemed bonkers to me. I don’t think it’s the solution, but it’s profitable.