Now I bet you are thinking, Isn't Autism like the trendiest possible developmental delay diagnosis? Doesn't every celebrity have at least one child with Autism? Can you swing a dead cat at Barnes & Noble without knocking over a stack of glossy books on how everything you needed to know you learned from a child with Autism? Didn't/doesn't Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton and Bill Gates have Autism? I bet you think I'm just a bandwagon fan.
I may just be projecting my feelings onto you.
I was very hesitant to accept this diagnosis and not just because its not a very nice diagnosis. I too was aware of the rapid increase in Autism diagnoses of the seeming Autism epidemic. What could be the real significance of this diagnosis if so many children with such widely varying disabilities were being given the same label? I have come to believe that Autism is over diagnosed, that the definition of Autism has been broadened over time, that children who would have been called retarded 20 years ago are more appropriately diagnosed with Autism today and that my daughter has Autism.
I may not have the latest Marc Jacobs tote but isn't a crazy pre-schooler the ultimate accessory?
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