MRI for suspected ASD in 15m old?

[Yellowduck1993]

Hi,

My 15 month old baby boy is suspected ASD due to a regression in development, 0 speech and social difficulties such as no eye contact/interaction/smiling among other things. Isn’t yet walking but taking 1-2 steps unaided every so often.

He had his first paediatrician appt last Thursday who told me he was presenting as “classic autistic” based on his history. She then went on to say she would like an MRI and neurologists opinion because of his development delay. She said she doesn’t want to just get tunnel vision because he has autistic traits and used the example of someone with a stomach problem being told they had ibs without exploring other possibilities. At the time I was fine with it but since leaving I’m worried that she thinks it could be something more sinister. She said that with him being so young it won’t hurt to rule out everything. Has anyone else been told their baby needs an MRI due to their developmental delays even when presenting as “classic autistic”.

its to have a more in depth look at the brain, to see if his brain has any brain damage or if its developed differently.
My son had an MRI scan at 2.5 and they saw that he had additional folds in the brain and the extent of his brain damage, my son has mild cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy.

Try not to worry. A scan can be normal in some cases.

Autistic DS3 doesn’t have the same needs as your DS (e.g. he is verbal) but he had an MRI scan when assessed. And DS1, who doesn’t have ASD but does have other complex needs, has had MRIs too to help inform the clinical picture.

Was offered an MRI for my son who has diagnosis of autism and global development delay. He was 3 at the time they offered. I decided not to go ahead with it but may possibly revisit in the future

My child was diagnosed with autism by the community paediatrician and I was furious that he hadn't had an mri prior to this. Many different brain conditions can present itself similar to autism. I took my son gp to get the referral for the mri and my gp said that any lifelong diagnosis should be at the exclusion of other potentials and agreed with us. I don't think your doctor is doing a very thorough job

There was a proposal some time ago, that GPs should be able to refer patients for MRIs and other scans directly. A radiographer told me, there wasn’t enough equipment, and even if there were, there certainly weren’t enough radiographers to deliver on this.

You have probably come up against rationing. If it were me, I would want an MRI, based on personal experience with DC.

Hi,

I was told my little one waa being referred but now i no longer want to go ahead with it.

Did the doctors have any issues with you saying no. Im scared that they may go down the medical route of saying medical neglect even though that may just me being paranoid.

My daughter is showing slight traits but compare to some children i know who have higb traits of autism they have not been. Offered a scan and i dont want to do it either.

I know this is an old post.

My child wasn't offered an MRI. Is it common practice? I wouldn't have minded the option just to ensure there was nothing else going on. My son is 6 years old, would it still be worth trying to get this done?

@Tinakilly imaging isn’t offered as part of the diagnostic process in all cases but in some cases it is normal to be offered. It depends on the circumstances, history and presentation of the individual patient.

If you think it is required, you could request a referral to paeds.