ABSTRACT
Getting a diagnosis is absolutely critical to getting help. There is no help available for children with high levels of abilities, so it is critical that a diagnosis of a disability be made. A 2009 study by Dr. Paul Shattuck and colleagues at Washington University of St. Louis found that most children on the spectrum are not officially diagnosed until they are 6 years old, quite late to receive the critical intervention services they need to improve. But some help is better than no help. Denial is part of the process as parents wonder if everyone was wrong and this child really is fine. Often, after diagnosis, parents will be frozen in denial, not certain how to go about getting started, and not wanting to get started. It can happen when a parent just can't follow through on professional recommendations or not read the materials that are given to her.
