According to the CDC, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect 1 percent of the world’s population. The World Health Organization website shows that about one in every 100 children have Autism. Characteristics can be seen in early childhood. But there are many who do not get the diagnosis until adulthood. “Autism Parent Magazine” points out that children can be diagnosed as young as 2. However, most are not diagnosed until after the age of 4.
There is an inherent advantage to early diagnosis. Children get the services and support they need early on. Parents and care givers are educated in how to better understand ASD and help their children. It is important for correct diagnosis, especially since the milder symptoms of ASD can mimic other learning disabilities. These children subsequently do not receive the beneficial services afforded to them, which can do more harm than good.
Children being diagnosed as early as age 2 often does not happen. Healthcare providers sometimes will dismiss a parent’s concern and label it as developmental delays. Fortunately, that is not always the case. Dean Buddemeyer showed early signs of Autism. When he was around 6 months old, his parents, Joshua Buddemeyer and Sadie Carpenter, both 24 and of Porter, Maine, suspected their child could have Autism. He did show signs of having some developmental delays. These included lack of speech, poor eye contact and not responding to his name. It wasn’t until he turned a year old that this was brought up to Dean’s pediatrician. She scheduled a hearing test to make sure that that wasn’t the problem. When that came back fine, she said that a preliminary screening could be done for Dean at his 18 month well childcare appointment. That is the earliest it could be done. The results of this concluded Dean had met the criteria to meet with a psychologist and have an evaluation at age 2.
A day before his 2nd birthday, Dean was diagnosed with having level 3 (severe) Autism. He also is non-verbal, which means he makes sounds but no words.
As his dad Joshua put it, “I felt bad for Dean. But I am so glad that we were able to get him looked at so young. To get him whatever help he needs.”
That help happened almost immediately. Even before the evaluation, because there was a strong indicator that Dean could have Autism, he was assigned a teacher of children with disabilities, through Child Developmental Services, to work with him. This person comes to the house once a week. At first it was through Zoom, but now it is in person at his home – due to Zoom being ineffective as Dean was very distracted. After diagnosis, Dean was also given a social worker assigned to his case to ensure an IEP (Individualized Education Program) plan gets put in place. They are still waiting on a Behavioral Therapist, who will work with him as autistic children will throw things and hit. Because Dean lives in a rural area, it is a matter of finding one who can make the trek out to his home. Down the road, Joshua and Sadie will be able to tap other services for Dean that will be available.
The support and learning that Dean has received has been invaluable. His parents have seen a noticeable improvement. Dean and his parents have started to learn sign language to communicate. He also has been learning other things, such as colors and taking directions. And his parents have gotten better at picking up on their son’s non–verbal cues. Such as him leading them by the hand to show them what he is trying say. Dean also makes vocalization as he points to something. They have also learned tools to effectively interact better with Dean.
On his 3rd birthday next month, Dean will be re-evaluated. When asked if that will change his diagnosis, his father said, “Oh, definitely. He has made so many improvements. We all think that there is a 75 percent chance that Dean will be moved down to Level 2 – moderate – Autism. All because of having people working with him for the past year. It has been a huge help.”
Sadie, who herself has been told by family and doctors that she more than likely has mild Autism, wishes she had been diagnosed as a child. She said, “It would have helped me to better understand things, especially about myself, when I was younger.”
She also said that it would have been beneficial to her now as an adult, as she enthusiastically shook her head and said, “Yes, definitely.”
When asked what they would tell other parents who have a young child and are concerned about Autism, Joshua insisted, “Talk to your child’s doctor to get your child checked out early if you are worried. Be persistent if you have to. Trust me, with all the services available, it is such a big help to do this as early as possible.”
