I don't really understand why we can easily say that a child is autistic without understanding his/her personality completely.
We can never tell that a child who has difficulty in speaking is already autistic without assessing his/her skills, behaviours, attitudes, intelligences based on the Multiple Intelligences Theory of Dr. Howard Gardner which has been modified by me. I added more intelligences which I want to see in a person. We can also never tell that a child is autistic without examining his genes, his foods, and medical history.
This morning, September 1st, 2012, I had a four-year old son who repeats my utterances, hardly recognizes letters, interchanges letters and sounds, doesn't understand instructions, can't really follow my instructions, can't write well, etc., etc., BUT I STILL HAVE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSES OF these developmental delays. As an educator and a language training specialist, I have learned that it is paramount to examine first the child thoroughly and to determine first the contributing factors why the child behaves as if he or she is autistic before I can tell that a child is having autism spectrum or autism disorder.
I have learned that autism is genetic. I also learned that autism is caused by a lot of factors which include food and medication.
So why should I conclude that this child who came to me this morning is autistic?
Ahah. Never should I conclude that a child has autism syndrome UNLESS the child has been with me for at least a year. After training and the child really cannot speak well, cannot develop his/her skills and intelligences, then that's the right time I can say that the child is really autistic. BUT I will still recommend the child to undergo GENETIC TESTING or DNA TEST.
NO MATTER HOW OTHER SPECIALISTS OR TEACHERS SAY THAT THE CHILD IS AUTISTIC, I WON'T BELIEVE IT UNLESS IT IS PROVEN BY MY OWN ASSESSMENT, JUDGMENT, EVALUATIONS, ANALYSES, AND TRAINING.