Why Autism Diagnoses Are Often Delayed

For children on the autism spectrum, very early social skills training, preferably before school age, can have a major impact on later development. But a lot of kids are missing that crucial intervention.  

For many, it's not because they're not getting diagnosed—it's because they're getting a different diagnosis first. Often, it's ADHD, diagnosed by a pediatrician at age 2 or 3. Or parents are told that their child has sensory processing issues. Then, the autism isn't picked up until the demands of school and social situations increase. One mother we know got both—sensory processing at 2 years old and ADHD at 4—before her son was diagnosed with autism just shy of his fifth birthday.

Those initial assessments are not necessarily inaccurate, as far as they go. It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of children with an autism ...
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