4/4/22 blog post
The COVID-19 delay in autism diagnosis
During the early months of the pandemic, families hunkered down and stayed at home with national restrictions in place intended to protect families. But as the pandemic lingered, some families still felt safer at home and opted out of activities they felt were not crucial, including their routine medical visits. Many families feared that their doctor’s office was full of sick patients and therefore they postponed their child’s routine check-ups. Local pediatric offices reported a marked decrease in well-child visits over the course of the pandemic.
Well-child visits are an important part of your child’s development and overall health for several reasons, including:
- Well-child visits create a baseline of wellness to compare when your child does become sick.
- Immunizations are an important part of well-child visits. Immunizations are done on a schedule and skipping well-child visits can create a delay in the immunization schedule.
- A comprehensive exam is done at every well-child visit and developmental milestones are assessed. If your child is not meeting a milestone, your doctor can address it right away. This is vital for developmental conditions like autism. Early diagnosis is essential to successful treatment and management of any developmental disorder. Studies have found that symptoms in children who begin early invention, like therapy, by 2 or 3-years-old can be greatly reduced.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that autism affects 1 in 44 U.S. children, a higher prevalence rate than ever before. Autism symptoms include communication difficulties, socialization concerns and repetitive behaviors and can be accompanied by a range of developmental and behavioral health conditions. Early symptoms may be overlooked by parents of young children who interact each day, but pediatricians are trained to look for warning signs and early symptoms.
The average age of diagnosis in the U.S. is approximately 4 years old, but Black and Latino children on average are evaluated later than white kids leading to a later diagnosis. Add in the pandemic and kids are being diagnosed at a much later age.
How is autism diagnosed?
Dayton Children's Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics can provide assessment for developmental delays as well as for autism. Our focus is on children up until the 5th birthday. We utilize a team who can provide developmental testing, referral for necessary medical services, and assistance for families searching for treatment and behavioral services. Patients specifically referred for concerns for autism are asked to complete a questionnaire with birth, family information, description of concerns and developmental milestones. Based on parent and referring provider feedback, they may schedule the patient in the autism diagnostic clinic or with one of the developmental pediatricians. For an autism diagnostic clinic assessment, a developmental pediatrician and a child psychologist may see the patient together with their family or individually. The psychologist does appropriate testing depending on the child’s symptoms and the developmental pediatrician will assess any medical, behavioral or developmental symptoms.
The autism diagnostic clinic only sees new patients 5 years old and younger. Patients who are referred for autism between ages four and five may be seen by one of the developmental pediatrics providers and if autism is a concern the patient may be referred for additional testing.
What do I do if I suspect my child may have autism?
- Make sure you stay on schedule for well-child visits with your child’s provider.
- Let your child’s provider know right away if you are seeing any delays in age-appropriate behavior such as delayed speech. Document your concerns, including times, places and frequency in order to paint an accurate picture for your provider.
How can I help my child that has been diagnosed with autism?
If your child is diagnosed with autism, many resources and support services can help. Your doctor and care team can point you in the right direction.
These age-specific autism checklists also can help guide you. Click a link to learn more:
