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Diagnosing Autism
November 22, 2009 |
With so much in the news these days about autism, it’s hard to know what to believe sometimes. “Parents, usually first time parents, worry about anything they hear
with their child and they’re looking and they’re very careful,” says The Children's
Hospital child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Marianne Krouk.
She outlines some of the warning signs. “If by 15 months, you don’t see them imitating
what you are doing around the home or what older siblings are doing, or aren’t showing
delight or spontaneous delight.” A lack of social skills, inability
to make eye
contact when you are speaking to them, repetitive behavior or language can also be warning signs.
Dr. Krouk says the opposite can happen too. “If a child is speaking, or is doing
anything developmentally in a typical way and loses that ability or regresses, looks
like they went back a couple of months in their abilities? That’s a red flag. That
child absolutely needs to get in to see the pediatrician or come to the screening
and get assessed.”
Lee Memorial Health System offers free monthly autism screenings. Dr. Krouk says
it’s important to
have the child checked early on to determine the best course of
treatment.
To schedule your free screening, you can call 239-985-3608.
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