Why An Early Autism Diagnosis Is Important

One in 31 children in the United States has been diagnosed with autism, according to the CDC. There are simply not enough medical practices to meet the needs of this growing community, so some families report waits of two or three years to get an evaluation.

Yet, an early diagnosis is critical for many reasons.

An early diagnosis provides families with insurance coverage for critical therapeutic services. There are many studies that show that autistic children benefit from early, intense, and high-quality therapy. A delay in evaluations means a delay in getting these services.

An early diagnosis gives state programs and public schools better tools for providing targeted help for children.

An early diagnosis gives families greater insight into their children’s unusual strengths and weaknesses. Parents need to know why their children walk or talk differently from their siblings. With greater knowledge about autism, they can learn how to support their children at home and how to manage family relationships. Frazzled parents need this help as soon as possible.

Frustrated by the long waits for autism evaluations, Dr. Jennifer Cope created the Cope Center for Autism to solve that problem. She oversees a staff that provides high-quality autism evaluations of children up to age twenty-one. Patients are referred for external hearing evaluations, EEG, genetic testing, and other diagnostics as necessary.

A quality assessment with medical oversight is often the first step in accessing therapy and school services.