ASD Misdiagnoses - This Might Shock You

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False Negatives?
According to a study (link below), “Autism experts” would get 81% of their first impressions (ASD or not) correct after the final diagnosis. That’s quite impressive. 92% of those children the clinicians believed to be on the spectrum went on to get a diagnosis. However, 24% of children initially believed not to be autistic and ended up getting a positive diagnosis.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...

False Positives?
Professional judgement might be overly pessimistic at times. Parents tell me that paediatricians suspect autism after 5 minutes. And the kindergarten teacher constantly asks parents to get an ASD diagnosis.

Yes, professionals are wrong sometimes. To suspect autism, doesn’t mean there is going to be autism. Think of it as a risk. Just like if you were at risk of a certain disease, of course, professionals would urge you to get it checked out.

Please understand the difference between screeners and assessments. Screeners help lessen the work for diagnosis. It’s a funnel that helps determine who has the highest likelihood of having a certain disorder. The “M-Chat” screener has a “sensitivity for ASD diagnosis was 33.1%, and the positive predictive value was 17.8%.” This means it’s not that accurate. But it’s a great resource to pointing potential 

https://publications.aap.org/pediatri...

What Does This Mean in the Real World?
This means initial impressions are initial impressions. You need to go through a full assessment to know. Are there misdiagnoses? Yes, I’ve seen a few in my line of work. And this happens on both sides - false positives or negatives.

Are there any stats about that? No, I can’t find anything reliable right now. However, I do think whatever the diagnosis is, it doesn’t change what we need to do right now. And that is to intervene.

Yes, there’s a lot of talk about promoting neurodiversity. I’m all for that. However, like anyone in the world… If we need to survive we will have to adapt. Whether your child is neural diverse, has differing brain structures or has plain language delays. S/he will have to learn to cope with those problems in order to carry on with life.

Misdiagnosed or not, it doesn’t change the therapy. You might get into problems with the school system because your child is “mislabeled”. And that can be a good or a bad thing. Children who have a diagnosis get more resources and attention. Whilst obviously, that label will follow the child throughout their education and life.

The best thing you can do today is to start therapy and help your child improve. Not forcing your child to be like us, but for him/her to understand how to cope with this world. We won’t be here forever, children will have to stand on their own one day!