Argument for Estrangement

Welcome back to the Audacious Aspie! Last week, we finished up looking at how ADHD and Autism are alike, and how having one generally means you will have the other. But today, we will look at an argument stating that, while both ADHD and Autism are alike, it is important to be able to tell the difference, and treat appropriately. For this, we have an especially esteemed guest today, who has done an article on this very topic.

 

Who can it be? It’s someone who is known internationally as smart, savy, The Oxford University of North America. Can you guess who it is? No, it’s not Trump University.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, on the Harvard Health Publishing site for Harvard Medical School (which I totally went to, by the way) Claire McCarthy! She has done an article called “Is It ADHD-or Autism?” (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-it-adhd-or-autism-201510278462). Why is it important to tell the difference? Will, the simple answer is: the earlier someone is diagnosed with either/or, they will have a much better time later on withchallenges, getting the right help and, will, everything actually. But the longer they, or their parents, wait to have the person diagnosed, the harder it will be just in general. This is probably not news to some of you.

 

How is it possible that general pediatricians, people that we trust with our health, can easily miss the mark when it comes to properly diagnosing those we care about? Will, for one as the author notes, it takes someone who is specially trained, and has the time, to be able to tell the difference. Your general pediatrician, though they try, is not that person (totally me though. After all, I went to Harvard. No need to check my credentials). What's more, the social aspects of autism might not even become visible in children until they first start school, meaning that the parents won’t be able to find out, first hand anyways, that their children has problem socializing (though they may try. I’m calling it: in the future, stay-at-home parents will use drones to watch how their children at school. Helicopter parents, meet drone-parenting).    

 

 

Unlike helicopters, drones are small, silent compared to helicopters and can fit in buildings much easier. What they lack in on-board weapons they make up in colliding with a person, repeatedly.

 

If the parents dont know that their child is having a hard time socializing with others, they won’t report it to their pediatrician and kick-start the testing. As if that is not depressing enough, the author mentions that because of the everything mentioned in this paragraph and the one above, and that most parents would feel more relieved to hear that their child has ADHD than Autism (wonder how the child feels about that), no one would feel the need to have further testing done on the child. It’s like if a group of parents got together and discussed what’s worse: their child getting hurt in a car crash through drinking and driving, or texting and driving. With the only health professional there wondering to themselves why does it matter so long as something, anything, is done. The sooner the better.

 

Will, this ends it for this weeks post, next week we will continue on this topic on why it’s a good idea to tell the difference between ADHD and Autism when diagnosing someone, as will as starting the process as soon as you can. Quite an interesting turn in the discussion of whether or not ADHD should be considered to be on the autistic spectrum, but we never can tell were the train of knowledge will drop us off next eh? (or how deep the rabbit hole is. I think I see China on the other side). Until than, this continues to be, the Audacious Aspie.

 

Sources used:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-it-adhd-or-autism-201510278462