Being Taken off "The Spectrum"

The study I read on this is that somewhere between 10-20 percent of children diagnosed as being on the spectrum can get off the spectrum by doing behavior therapy alone! The psychologist who had assessed my daughter was aware of this study and said that it's true and has been known about for awhile. Generally, the kids who are successful are: 1) very high-functioning to begin with, 2) intelligent, and 3) show great progress by the time they're 7!

The psychologist believes my daughter will be in this successful group! She didn't think it would be possible when she assessed her last year, but she made amazing progress in one year's time and appears to be heading off the spectrum. The psychologist did tell us that she'll always be quirky though. That's okay, I love my daughter's quirkiness!

C.
www.littlebitquirky.blogspot.com

YES!
It is actually very common. There was a recent study on this, and though there was a concern about the methodology that was used, a large percentage of parents reported that they have at one point received a diagnosis somewhere on "the spectrum" but that their child was currently not considered autistic (or whatever the diagnosis was).

Personally I believe that for better or worse, there has been a HUGE push for early diagnosis and intervention. On the upside this causes a lot of kids to receive services that probably do a lot of good and remediate behavioral issues, whether or not that diagnosis was actually correct.
On the downside it causes a lot of anguish and pain for families who are faced with this diagnosis and kids might be categorized in a certain way that is not helpful for their development. It also leads to over medication and potentially unnecessary treatment or treatment for the wrong issue.

There is quite some discussion among professionals as to how and when to diagnose kids "on the spectrum" as the lines are blurry. A recent recommendation has been given that children should be reassessed every year or two depending on their diagnosis.

Good luck!

absolutely! I am an ABA teacher in EI.

Very interesting question! It is possible that kids with mild symptoms can learn coping skills such that they pass as typical and many people function very well as adults. As far as I know, they will always have autism and be considered on the spectrum, as to take them off the spectrum would suggest that there is a cure. I think the best you can say is that there are some very good outcomes with exceptional high functioning kids who get excellent and timely standard medical care.

M.

It is certainly possible, especially if they were misdiagnosed in the first place. I think a lot of late talkers with quirky behaviors are diagnosed on the spectrum. One of my sons is like this, and thankfully we were at a clinic which diagnoses ASD very conservatively.

There is no cure for autism but there is recovery, much like if you were to sustain a broken bone in a care accident. Your broken bone will never be cured but you will recover. As always, early intervention is the key.