Parents may fear getting a diagnosis for their child. Sometimes they're afraid that a diagnosis of autism will lead educators and perhaps even other family members to treat the child differently or to be less accepting of the child.

A diagnosis can have value. Ideally, the diagnosis can provide a way to identify the child's needs and abilities. The diagnosis of autism helps parents and professionals think about potential problems that the child may encounter. A diagnosis can also:

Connect children and families with funding sources and programs.

Access services that may be critical for the child to make satisfactory progress.

Provide the framework for regulatory protections. There are laws and continuing legislation that protect people with special needs.

Access medical insurance or state medical funding.

Provide researchers with a common language and common ground for studying the nature of autism.

Provide parents with a point of connection, to learn additional information and to connect with other families who have been affected by autism.

Identify reasons and, therefore, understand unusual behaviors and social differences. Sometimes, a child's behavior can be misconstrued?communication problems and other differences in children with autism may be misperceived as obstinate behavior or noncompliance by adults who fail to recognize or understand autism.*

*Adapted from "What we are learning about Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Evolving dialogues and approaches to promoting development and adaptation."

When a diagnosis of autism is given, families should work toward fully educating anyone who has regular interaction with the child. This will enable negative reactions to be avoided. Also, it is important to banish the stereotypes, rather than banishing or hiding the diagnosis.

Back to What Is Autism?