Parents seeking a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for their child

Abstract

Sistema de avaliação: às cegas por pares (double blind review). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.

The Quality of Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: Families’ Views

“…Participants reported that they were the first to identify the symptoms. This matches the findings of Xavier et al [17], but is in sharp contrast to those by Sicherman et al [24], who claimed that the earliest signs were perceived by acquaintances, friends, or the extended family in half of the cases. A possible explanation may lie in the parents' greater capacity to detect the initial symptoms, either because the children with ASD had no siblings and may have received more attention from their parents, or because they had older siblings whose development served as a reference.…”

“…Following an apparently normal development period, family members and those closest to them begin to identify certain behaviors that differ from the usual development patterns around the child's first or second year of life [16]. Symptoms such as a tendency to social isolation, a lack of communicative intent, the rejection of emotional contact, and some stereotypical behaviors can lead the family to seek health professional support as they start to become aware of the disorder [17]. Throughout this process, parents usually begin to feel a certain degree of frustration and helplessness, especially because of the length of time between initial concerns being noted and the final diagnosis being received [14].…”

“…For this reason, the presence of someone with experience and knowledge in raising young children, like a grandmother, may eventually shorten the diagnostic process by up to five months [24]. However, other studies such as the one authored by Xavier et al [17] noted that parents detect the initial signs of atypical behavior and are the first to set off the alarm in 65% of cases. When faced with this situation, they do not often directly consult professionals specialized in neurodevelopmental disorders, instead, they talk to a pediatrician or general practitioner, who may refer the case for a more in-depth clinical study if they deem it appropriate [21].…”