First Diagnosis

An excellent overview to getting an initial diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), moms talk about the first signs of developmental delays they noticed in their children. The struggles of seeking a formal diagnosis are explored, and the questions “Getting the Diagnosis – What and How?”, “What is our Diagnosis?”, and “How We Got Our Diagnosis” are addressed.

Though diagnostic criteria have changed over a decade since this interview first aired in 2012, autism’s subtleties, markers, and red-flags remain ever-constant. In this no-nonsense interview with Dr. Adel Najdowski, Ph.D, BCBA-D, markers and red flags for autism’s onset and early intervention are discussed with candor.

Gabriel Meyer, Remote Clinical Lead Manager at Center for Autism & Related Disorders (CARD), unpacks a nuanced question posed by a confused mom of an 11-year-old son who wrote to Shannon Penrod of Autism Live.

“Holy sh*t I’m reading through these comments crying because everybody is struggling with the same stuff as me. I felt so alone like 5 minutes ago and now I feel so accepted like this is a family.” — Viewer Response

Joy Van Der Lann, an autism mom, nurse practitioner, and functional medicine specialist had loads of questions when her daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed with autism. In this video, Van Der Lann talks from a mom-professional perspective about four typical questions asked by new-to-autism parents.

This introduction to diagnoses for autism spectrum disorders includes the basic characteristics of autism and the things you can do to get screening for your child.

In this Ability Life Solutions Video Favorite, Dr. Barbara Bennet, a board-certified pediatrician,and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of California San Francisco talks in detail fornearly an hour about critical Red Flags in autism.

In this informative video, psychologists and family advocates explore the diagnosis of autism, including social, communication, and behavioral components. Environmental and genetic markers-pre-dispositions, are also discussed

In this video, Stephanie from Our LANDing Crew discusses the early signs of autism she noticed in her son Liam over the course of his first 18 months of life.

In this video, Dan from The Aspie World gives several action steps that one should take prior to getting an autism evaluation.

Tom Shives, MD, talks with psychologist Dr. Andrea Huebner about the common traits of autism, including social, communication, and compulsive behaviors, and adds information about classic and more subtle traits of autism. Hueber elaborates about the standard of care, and the team she works with, including child and neuro psychologists, speech and language pathologists, social …

In this Ability Life Solutions Favorite Video, this mom and dad duo talk about one of their three boys on the autism spectrum, Allistair and his diagnosis. We really enjoyed the candid conversational way Allistair’s diagnosis is shared, finding this story to be relatable, realistic, optimistic, and balanced. While they were somewhat caught off-guard by …

In this Ability Life Solutions Video Favorite, Brett, Alistair’s fine motor skills coordinator, discusses body awareness, the brain, and where our bodies are in space, providing examples of sensory issues – at the same time as Alistair plays with blocks. It’s endearing when Brett breaks from the camera to redirect Alistair to perform a new …

In this video, Dr. Jacquie Wynn discusses the steps one can take after their child has been diagnosed with autism. The first step, she says, is to find an Autism Resource Coordinator, who can help parents find intensive early-intervention options, parent training options, as well as other resources to help address the child’s needs. She …

In this video, Lee Memorial Health System’s efforts to reach out to minority populations for autism screenings are highlighted, in light of the fact that, on average, diagnoses are made at a later age for those groups. Though the exact reasons for the delay are unclear, Nurse Practitioner Sherri Campbell cites access to care and …

In this Ability Life Solutions Video Favorite, Ryann discusses her recent diagnosis with ASD-1 (formerly known as Asperger’s) at age 23. She speaks about what caused her to go so long without realizing she had autism, pointing to the lack of representation of women with autism in the media, as well as her “masking” tendencies, …

In this video, Dr. Asma Sadiq, Director of Child Development at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, discusses ten types of autism therapy which are used with children on the spectrum, noting that the therapy one chooses must be tailored to the needs of each particular child. Therapies include speech therapy for children with speech delay or …

In this video, a re-uploaded clip of a segment from the show 60 Minutes, the rising numbers of autism diagnoses are examined, and the efforts by behavioral scientists to identify the early signs of autism are highlighted. At the time of the segment, most children with autism were left undiagnosed until they were five years …

In this video, a list created by the University of California gives five signs of autism for parents to look out for is discussed. These are important signs for parents to be aware of when they take their child to a doctor for an autism evaluation, as they can help the doctor better understand the …