GP's not helping with diagnosis - advice please

It would help if you are able to, to give some more information about the types of behaviour your neice shows.

She is still very young and more signs of Asperger's may or may not become apparent as she gets older.

I am interested to know the following:

Does she have any interests that seem obsessive in nature? Does she talk about the same thing or engage in any repetitive behaviour?

Does she become unusually upset when something changes or she does not get her way?

Is she very good at some things while showing delays in other areas?

Does she interact with her peers?

Does she display any unusual motor mannerisms like walking on tip toes, flapping arms and hands, or pacing, particularly when excited or stressed?

If she is functioning well and is not distressed by her signs and symptoms, it might be wise to carefully observe her behaviour while compiling a list of anything that raises concern. You could reapproach the doctor at a later date if more evidence has come to light. However, I would argue that in most cases, autism should be diagnosed in childhood. It is very rare for a child to avoid the negative effects of undiagnosed Asperger's, and recombinantsocks experience is probably the exception rather than the rule. Most children with undiagnosed Asperger's do require intervention and are not surviving well without a diagnosis. Therefore, if you are concerned enough by your neice's behaviour, I would definitely pursue an assessment. Prevention of poor mental health is surely better than cure.

And not all parents have Asperger's just beause their child has the condition. While Asperger's is usually inherited, there is not always a direct mode of transmission even though isolated traits may occur in relatives, but then isolated traits can occur in the population as a whole.

It is sadly too common for parents to be told to go on parenting courses when the problem is in fact a biological one and not caused by poor parenting. Certainly the parents might benefit from advice on how to parent their child if the child has autism, but just telling parents they need to attend a class is a classic case of being fobbed off and not getting the answers they really need.

It would help if you are able to, to give some more information about the types of behaviour your neice shows.

She is still very young and more signs of Asperger's may or may not become apparent as she gets older.

I am interested to know the following:

Does she have any interests that seem obsessive in nature? Does she talk about the same thing or engage in any repetitive behaviour?

Does she become unusually upset when something changes or she does not get her way?

Is she very good at some things while showing delays in other areas?

Does she interact with her peers?

Does she display any unusual motor mannerisms like walking on tip toes, flapping arms and hands, or pacing, particularly when excited or stressed?

If she is functioning well and is not distressed by her signs and symptoms, it might be wise to carefully observe her behaviour while compiling a list of anything that raises concern. You could reapproach the doctor at a later date if more evidence has come to light. However, I would argue that in most cases, autism should be diagnosed in childhood. It is very rare for a child to avoid the negative effects of undiagnosed Asperger's, and recombinantsocks experience is probably the exception rather than the rule. Most children with undiagnosed Asperger's do require intervention and are not surviving well without a diagnosis. Therefore, if you are concerned enough by your neice's behaviour, I would definitely pursue an assessment. Prevention of poor mental health is surely better than cure.

And not all parents have Asperger's just beause their child has the condition. While Asperger's is usually inherited, there is not always a direct mode of transmission even though isolated traits may occur in relatives, but then isolated traits can occur in the population as a whole.

It is sadly too common for parents to be told to go on parenting courses when the problem is in fact a biological one and not caused by poor parenting. Certainly the parents might benefit from advice on how to parent their child if the child has autism, but just telling parents they need to attend a class is a classic case of being fobbed off and not getting the answers they really need.