Ignorance is bliss, right? WRONG.

In a previous blog, I have expressed my views on educating oneself on different medical conditions that may affect you, your child, or someone else's child.  Today though I'd like to bring your attention to something which is way more common.

I lost count of how many people I know who happen to be, have a child, a sibling, a relative or a friend who is Autistic.  It is an extremely common issue nowadays.  I won't pretend that I understand what Autism is all about - because I don't.  No autistic person is the same as the next, and the Autism Spectrum includes so many different disorders that you would have to be a professional who studied intensively about the topic to even begin to comprehend it all.

What I do know though is that the earlier a child is diagnosed, the better chances s/he has of getting the assistance s/he needs to have as average a life as possible.  The best people to pick up signals that a child might be autistic are those who spend a lot of time regularly with him/her such as yourself, and anyone who might babysit your child regularly.

With this in mind, I spoke to a good friend of mine who is way more knowledgeable about the  topic due to it affecting her sibling.  She has provided me with some awesome links to check out, which I'll share with you:

A good site for basic info: http://www.autismspeaks.org/
A good website for researchy stuff http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/research/

A good website especially for books http://fhautism.com/

Autistic individuals can range from a variety of Functional levels to a vast variety of limited functionality or non-functionality.  I firmly believe that one should know what sort of tell-tale signs to look out for, as certain things may easily be overlooked as just being "quirks", so to speak.

Whilst discussing this with my friend, she told me that at first, her mother thought that her sibling was deaf as loud noises - such as a door slamming - never startled her.Back in the day, this non-reaction meant nothing.  Nowadays, it is one of the most common tell-tale signs.

I will attempt to create a list of signs one should look out for - however please keep in mind that I'm no specialist, and most likely neither are you - so if you recognise some of these signs in anyone you might know, refer to a pro who will be able to issue a diagnosis.

Tell-tale signs
A child may display signs of Autism as early as 1 year of age. In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” also known as “red flags,” which indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that s/he is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your paediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation: 

 

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
• No babbling by 12 months
• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
• No words by 16 months
• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

Here you'll find a list of milestones that are expected from a child to reach which would indicate a normal development. If there is cause for concern that these milestones are not being reached when they should do, please refer to your paediatrician.

Besides from the tell-tale signs listed above, there are also other signs one can look out for.

• Limited social interaction [where the child may appear to be "a loner"]
• A tendency of repetitive behaviour such as an extreme fondness of stacking or repetitive motions [not far off from what OCD might look like]
• A very keen interest shown only in a limited amount of topics
• No standard reactions to loud noises

One of my closest friends was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome - which is one kind of Autism.  Had he not told me himself about the diagnosis, I would have never guessed it myself.  He is a fully-functional adult with what I would call a few "quirks" that make him so awesome.  I myself always having been somewhat anti-social would have thought nothing of this trait in him and just assumed he too doesn't like being around people most of the time.  In truth, he likes being around people but cannot cope with big groups - so as much as he likes to attend a good concert, the crowd might easily become overwhelming to him and he'd have to return back home.

This is pretty much the reason why I feel it is extremely important to educate oneself.  Though certain disorders that make up the Autism Spectrum allow the individual to be functional within modern day society, albeit with some minor limitations, it will still be tough to establish a relationship where there is mutual understanding between a Parent and a Child if the disorder goes by undiagnosed.  The parent[s] might easily think their child is just being awkward - a "problem child", so to speak - whereas in truth, the child would just be a regular Autistic child, behaving within his norm's parameters.

A few days ago, an article about one of the most amazing Autistic children ever reappeared on Facebook - I had already come across it over a year ago.  Here is a link - read it, watch

And then the witch doctor he gave me this advice

The moment you first decide that you want to be a parent [if planned] - or the moment you first find out you're pregnant [if unplanned] - is the moment when you no longer associate doctors with feeling sickly.

Whereas prior to parenthood, you'd only visit a doctor if something is wrong with you, you now end up making your doctor's clinic a second home.  Some might even end up with their doctor's and/or midwife's personal telephone number saved on speed dial!


When I discovered I was pregnant, I had a very short period of time to find me a doctor since I was only a few days away from going abroad for about a month.  I tried to get an appointment with a few different doctors recommended by family and/or friends, but at the end, I managed to get an appointment sorted with a doctor who happened  to be a family friend - and highly recommended by quite a few people.

The more time went by, the more apparent it started to become that soon I will no longer be the patient.  The focus will be shifting on Creature the moment s/he is born.  This could only mean one thing - it was time to start looking for a Paediatrician - a good one - preferably one whose office is close to where I live.

Where to begin, though?

First off, I had to start asking around.  

Well, you can ask your obstetrician or midwife for recommendations. Hospitals, insurance companies, and medical schools also provide referrals to doctors.  Friends, family, neighbours, co-workers - they're all good points of reference.  If there are any pharmacies in your area, you can ask them too - especially since quite a lot of pharmacies tend to have a clinic attached to them.


Not having had to deal with this sort of situation beforehand, I had no idea what to look out for when trying to choose a paediatrician.  I came across various hints & tips online.  The following questions can do the trick if the paediatrician happens to be recommended by someone else:

• How does your child respond to the doctor?
• Does the doctor seem to enjoy working with children?
• Does the doctor seem to know about the latest medical advances?
• Does the doctor welcome questions?
• Does the doctor take time to discuss problems and listen to your concerns?
• If it's a group practise, do you know and like the other doctors?
• Is the office staff patient and helpful?
• How long do you usually have to wait?
• Is the waiting room pleasant and kid-friendly?
• Is parking plentiful and convenient?
• Is there anything you don't like or wish was different about your child's doctor or her practise?

On the other hand, if you go for a more direct approach, you can try and arrange a meeting with the paediatrician that you'd have found.  In which case, you may wish to prepare a few questions to ask in advance.  Here are some hints & tips on what to ask:

• Which clinics is the doctor affiliated with?
• Do the doctor's hours suit your schedule? You might prefer one who works certain days of the week or who offers evening or Saturday-morning hours.
• Does your doctor do house-calls?
• How does the office handle telephone enquiries? Does it set aside specific times for parents to call in with questions or is there an open advice line during office hours? And if staff members handle the enquiries, do they dispense their own advice or relay the doctor's?
• Does the doctor accept and answer questions by email?
• How long does it take to get a non-emergency appointment with the doctor?
• If there is more than one paediatrician at the clinic, how are appointments handled for children who are sick? Is there good chance your child will get to see his own doctor?
• Are there separate well-baby and sick-baby waiting rooms?
• Is the staff warm and helpful?
• How do you reach the doctor if your child gets sick after hours? When your doctor is not on call, who covers?
• Does the doctor have a subspecialty or an area of interest?
• Do you and the doctor have similar views on topics such as circumcision, breastfeeding, immunisations, alternative medicine, and parenting issues such as attachment parenting, co-sleeping, single parenthood, and daycare? If not, is the doctor open to — and supportive of — other opinions and approaches?
• Pay attention to such intangibles as the doctor's style. Do you want a doctor who offers choices and lets you decide which one works best for you — or would you be more comfortable with one who gives a lot of direction?
• Take note of the overall atmosphere of the office. Is it clean, warm, and inviting?
• If you drive, was parking a problem? If you don't, how easy is it to get to the doc's?

If you choose a doctor, but eventually you end up being unhappy with the service you receive, don't hesitate to discuss it with him/her, and if need be, switch to another doctor.

If you want to read further, you can clicky here for 7 signs of a good doctor, and here for 7 signs of a bad doctor.

To make your life easier, once you have actually selected a doctor you'd like to meet in person, go over this check list before you head off for your first appointment.  Following the first meeting with your child's doctor, you can then refer to this check list that will help you understand better what to expect, and help you find the right questions to ask, and things to look out for, throughout the following appointments over the next three years.

At the end of the day, the most important thing of them all is this - follow your gut instinct.  If you feel something is wrong, but the doctor says everything is ok