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It's been a ten year journey to Caitlyn's diagnoses. During that time we've been through partial hospitalization, psychiatrists, pediatricians, school "Child Find" programs, Early Childhood Intervention, medication, and more tears and meltdowns than I can count.
In those years, I've learned a lot. Things I hope to reach out with and help others shorten their journey to getting help.
The very first and most important advice I want to share is this (it took me nine years to have someone on an internet message board give me this "key" to getting help!):
If you suspect a developmental problem with your child, please skip everything I listed above, because they CANNOT do it! You need a *medical* diagnosis for your child in order to get anything done. Schools can only "educationally diagnose" - and that label does NOT have to coincide with their medical disability.
The people you want to see ideally work as a team within a practice - a developmental pediatrician; a speech pathologist; and a child psychologist. If you can only locate a child psychologist or developmental pediatrician, that is ok; either one is qualified on their own to diagnose developmental disorders and autism.
ECI (Early Childhood Intervention, here in Texas; it may have a different name in your state) is a WONDERFUL resource. They will come to your home and help with therapies and services for your child 3 years of age or younger. However, unless a severe condition is immediately apparent, they are unlikely to proffer a diagnosis (and nor will the medical doctors you are referred to by them). But please do avail yourself of the services if they are needed; the earlier the intervention, the better.
