• Replies 17 replies
  • Subscribers 25 subscribers
  • Views 5452 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

How important is a diagnostic label for children?

dadof4

Hi

I have a child with Asperger's Syndrome.  For us and for him this getting a diagnosis was important as it helped us have a clearer understanding of our son and for him it made him feel less alone.  He told us a few years later that he had felt lonely because he was different from everyone else.  After diagnosis he felt that he was not on his own anymore. 

I only ask this question as I wanted to see if we were alone in feeling that diagnosis was important for children.  I have had conversations recently from people within various professions who have questioned the necessity for getting a diagnostic label as it can be damaging to the child's future, possibly putting limitations on them.

I understand the arguments for not needlessly labelling children and my feeling is that if their condition, whatever it is, is having an affect on their life then it is necessary to get a dianosis so that there is a clear understanding as to why they are having these difficulties and so that support can be more easily directed to meet their needs.

In the ideal world there would be no need for a diagnosis of anything as children would have their needs met on an indivualised basis but unfortunately we do not seem to be anywhere near living in this world.

Let me know your views and opinions.  I welcome comments on either side of the argument.

 

Parents

  • Hi Hong Kong Phooey

    I think the best thing when talking to your son about his condition is explainging the difficulties he could have but making sure he is aware of all the positives.  We recently had a discussion with my son about his condition as he was feeling a bit low about it.  We were lucky that he is such a huge pokemon fan.  We looked up famous people with a diagnosis and found that the maker of Pokemon has a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome.  There was a huge list of composers, actors, authors etc.

    There is a feeling that lots of famous scientists probably were on the spectrum as well such as Einstein.  There is a general agreement that BIll Gates has autism although he has never been diagnosed.  I know of a number of adults with autism spectrum conditions who have led fairly fulfilling lives some with a diagnosis and some without. 

    There are lots of young adults out there who act as mentors to young people.  A really good person to look at is a young man called Dean Beadle.  he has spoken at a number of conferences and does talks around the country.  There are many more such as him but he is one I would highly recommend. 

    There are lots of resources out there for talking to young people about their condition.  The most important thing is over-egging the positives so that they far outweigh the negatives.

Reply

  • Hi Hong Kong Phooey

    I think the best thing when talking to your son about his condition is explainging the difficulties he could have but making sure he is aware of all the positives.  We recently had a discussion with my son about his condition as he was feeling a bit low about it.  We were lucky that he is such a huge pokemon fan.  We looked up famous people with a diagnosis and found that the maker of Pokemon has a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome.  There was a huge list of composers, actors, authors etc.

    There is a feeling that lots of famous scientists probably were on the spectrum as well such as Einstein.  There is a general agreement that BIll Gates has autism although he has never been diagnosed.  I know of a number of adults with autism spectrum conditions who have led fairly fulfilling lives some with a diagnosis and some without. 

    There are lots of young adults out there who act as mentors to young people.  A really good person to look at is a young man called Dean Beadle.  he has spoken at a number of conferences and does talks around the country.  There are many more such as him but he is one I would highly recommend. 

    There are lots of resources out there for talking to young people about their condition.  The most important thing is over-egging the positives so that they far outweigh the negatives.

Children
No Data