According to an article written by Dr Manny Alvarez, he is worried about the proposed revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 2013.
Dr Manny reveals that a recent study highlights that there are challenges of diagnosing autism as the disorder tends to go hand-in-hand with a variety of other mental and behavioral conditions, other disorders like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities can make it difficult to diagnose a child or can delay improvement in kids that are diagnosed early.
Dr Manny is in agreement with the experts who claim when a revised definition of the disorder comes into effect, getting a diagnosis could become even more difficult than it already is. Since doctors agree that early intervention programs significantly improves outcomes and is invaluable to these children, Dr. Manny fear the revision will reduce the number of children being diagnosed which will bring down the number of children qualifying for early intervention services.
As a doctor and father of a child on the autism spectrum Dr. Manny claims that early intervention has helped his son to mature and develop social skills over the years.
