Misdiagnosed... The word hit my brain like a mallet hits a gong. The sound of the word seemed to reverberate off every nerve-ending in my entire body. I immediately conjured the spirit of Jenny McCarthy, and instantly remembered reading in her book that many doctors believe her son was misdiagnosed because, as our psychiatrist put it, "you cannot recover from Autism". I would hear this term not once but three separate times over the next two weeks.
The first time I heard "misdiagnosed" was at our first appointment with a new therapist. She believes he actually may have an Attachment Disorder which, believe it or not, actually mirrors Asperger's symptoms (with a few exceptions). The more she spoke, the more it began to make sense. Attachment disorder is often found in adopted children who have experienced some "trauma" in their lives.
While we do not know much about Bubba's start in life, we do know that he was moved to a new foster home at three months of age due to "unhealthy conditions", and we also know that the back of his head is as flat as a piece of plywood. It is very possible that he experienced trauma in the very early stages of his life. An argument could also be made that the simple movement from one foster home to our home was a traumatic experience for him.
As I began to let the information soak in, I ordered books so I could learn more about how to deal with and treat "our" new disorder. A few days later we had an appointment with the psychiatrist.
I giggled as she began, "While you cannot recover from Autism, you can be..."
"Misdiagnosed!" I chimed in. Through my chuckles I continued, "our therapist believes it is attachment disorder. What do you think?"
"I believe that is very possible!"
Seriously! Seriously! For four years I have assumed that my son has had an incurable disorder. For four years I have read every article, book, and magazine I could get my hands on. For four years I have researched therapies, changed diets, created supplement cocktails, and sought out every field expert. For FOUR YEARS...
One week later Bubba had his four year old checkup. As the pediatrician entered the room, she noted how well behaved Bubba was. We spoke for a moment about his progress, and then I brought up the monkey on my back who had been with me for a week, pulling my hair and biting my ears.
"What do you think about attachment disorder?" I asked.
"If he has Aspergers, he is the highest functioning Aspergers kid I've ever seen! It's very likely he was misdiagnosed!"
Again I have to say... Seriously! Has everyone just been going along with this diagnosis because it sounded good? Is Autism a more "accepted" diagnosis than RAD? Seriously?
What is the correct diagnosis? I do not know. Does it even matter? Again, I do not know. What I DO know is that the treatment for Aspergers and RAD is essentially the same, so everything we have done thus far has been good, despite the diagnosis. We have also begun attachment parenting, in which we let Bubba know that we love and accept him despite his behavior and emotion. There can be no time-outs or time in your room. There can be no yelling or negative consequences of any kind. Since beginning this, we have seen some progress. I do not know where we go from here or what to expect, but I will continue to research and experiment. I will continue to help my child, despite the diagnosis.
