When Beth Whitney’s husband noted that their first-born son, Jake, wasn’t making eye contact with him or others or responding to his name, she brushed it off. Jake made good eye contact with her, so she didn’t see a problem. At around 9 months, Jake began flapping his arms (stimming) when he got excited, but Whitney says she thought that’s what all babies did.
“When I look at videos, it pains me because the signs of autism were right there, and I probably would have picked up on them if Jake wasn’t my first child,” Whitney says. “At the time, he just seemed like a happy baby.
”But when Jake passed his first birthday without talking, Whitney, who is now the field development manager of the New England chapter of Autism Speaks, says she and her husband were motivated to seek answers. Jake was first diagnosed with a speech disorder and then with PDD. Though Jake’s doctors didn’t think he had autism, they gave him the PDD diagnosis so he could get started on therapies immediately.
And that was key.
Goh explains that early detection allows for early intervention and access to medical care and developmental and behavioral services, including occupational, speech, language, and physical therapy, and a type of behavioral service called applied behavior analysis or ABA.
Castillo is one of countless mothers (and caregivers) who are the first to detect signs of autismin their children. Their persistence can’t be understated, according to Suzanne Goh, a board-certified pediatric behavioral neurologist and the co-founder and chief medical officer of Cortica, a whole-child, physician-led autism care provider with a national network of centers.
“Mothers and parent caregivers in general have such an important role in identifying the earliest signs of autism,” Goh says. “For most children, a diagnosis of autism can be reliably made between 18 and 24 months, but the earliest signs come even well before that.”
Caring for the entire family
Research shows that early detection and treatment leads to better outcomes for children with autism and can help them reach their full potential in adulthood. But early detection and intervention also benefits the family because parents and caregivers can get the support they need from the beginning.
Wait times for an autism diagnosis can take six months or longer in academic medical centers, often delaying the time before a child can receive interventions. With a national network of pediatric neurologists and other physicians, and a digital front door model, Cortica can provide a diagnosis within 30 days and accelerate the time from diagnosis to implementation of comprehensive interventions, which is why local payer Point32Health collaborated with Cortica to bring their services to their Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan members.
“We hear stories of our members waiting months and months to be evaluated for autism spectrum disorder, delaying much needed therapy and treatment that goes beyond just ABA therapy,” says Jill Borelli, Point32Health’s vice president of behavioral health. “Cortica’s model has been scientifically proven to deliver superior developmental outcomes for children and families.”
Mothers and parent caregivers in general have such an important role in identifying the earliest signs of autism.
Another benefit of early detection and intervention is that it improves the chances of a child going to mainstream kindergarten.
Caregivers can learn a lot by hearing from autistic people about their own experiences.
Every day, as Gloria Ricardi Castillo drove her son Fabian home from daycare and they drove over a bridge, she would call out, “water,” and he would look out the window at the river below and reply from the back seat, “water.” Then one day, Fabian didn’t reply. Castillo looked in her rearview mirror and noticed that her 16-month-old son was simply staring at his shoes.
When they got home, she observed that Fabian wasn’t making eye contact or connecting with her.
“That’s the first time I noticed something was different, but I thought he was sick with a cold or a stomachache,” Castillo says.
“We were losing precious time because I knew that if children are diagnosed early, they can get early intervention (EI) services,” says Castillo, who is now the director of Family Support Centers at Northeast Arc, a nonprofit that supports people with developmental disabilities and autism.
She persisted and Fabian, now 32, got a pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) diagnosis, now known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a few months later. He was later diagnosed with autism at five years old.
She explains that early observations made by mothers and caregivers are critically important because, in the first few years of a child's life, the signs of autism can be very subtle and a pediatrician seeing a child for a 10 or 15 minute visit may miss them.
“Early detection by parents is the main way that concerns come to light,” explains Goh, who adds that it happens a lot.
According to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 36 children was diagnosed with ASD in 2020. Boys are also four times more likely to be diagnosed with ASD than girls.
As soon as he was diagnosed with PDD, Jake began ABA therapy, which Whitney credits with helping Jake meet all his milestones, albeit at a slower rate than usual. He was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old.
Another benefit of early detection and intervention is that it improves the chances of a child going to mainstream kindergarten.
“Over the years, we’ve seen kids diagnosed at an older age struggle to get into general education classrooms,” says Neil Hattangadi, co-founder and CEO of Cortica. “To be diagnosed at age two or three or younger and get the appropriate whole-child interventions — including working on daily living skills, behavioral treatment and social communication — can be really powerful.”
Goh adds that an important source of support for families comes from advocacy organizations for autism, including those led by people with autism.
“I've found that caregivers can learn a lot by hearing from autistic people about their own experiences, so that set of resources is extremely valuable and can be really helpful, especially early on,” Goh says.
Though she got therapy for Jake and support for her family early, Whitney says she didn’t fully accept Jake’s diagnosis on an emotional level for years. She describes Jake, who is now 15, as a technologically gifted 10th grader.“
If I could go back, I would say the diagnosis doesn't change anything. He’s the same kid, and I wouldn’t stay in that denial period,” Whitney says. “The beauty in his diagnosis is something I couldn’t see then, but I see it now. He’s a remarkable human being and makes everybody around him better. I wish I could have seen that sooner.”
She took her son to a psychologist at a local Boston hospital who dismissed her concerns and told her to go home.
The importance of early detection
Point32Health is a nonprofit health and well-being organization, guiding and empowering healthier lives for all. Throughout all of life's stages and challenges, our family of companies inclusive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan support members and their families with whole-health benefits and solutions.
Later that month, Fabian was in his playpen and Castillo noticed him flapping his hands. What she didn’t know at the time, is that this is referred to as stimming, which is shorthand for self-stimulation. She remembered seeing a movie about a child with a disability who also flapped his hands and decided to call a friend who is a psychologist. The friend advised Castillo to get Fabian evaluated.
Before she had time to make the appointment, Castillo saw a pediatrician on a morning news program describing the potential signs of autism, and she recognized them in her son.
“Fabian had been very affectionate and very engaging, but he completely changed. He was still young,” Castillo says, but he kept to himself, “and that was very worrisome.”
She took her son to a psychologist at a local Boston hospital who dismissed her concerns and told her to go home. Castillo began doing her own research anyway, as she strongly suspected her son had autism.
Mother’s intuition:
Written by Jaimie SeatoN
Illustrated by Katia Wish
The important role mothers play in the early detection of autism
Early observations made by parents and caregivers can be critical for early diagnosis and intervention.
Caregivers might be the first to notice signs
All of these therapies can help a child to develop the brain networks, they can foster brain development in key developmental domains like the sensory system, motor development, cognitive and language development, and social-emotional development,” Goh says. “The earlier this happens, the greater the impact can be on long-term brain development.”
Our philosophy, and I think this has become widely accepted in the field — and also the nature of our collaboration with our partnership with Point32Health — is really understanding that this is a whole-child, whole-family condition and, therefore, deserves whole-child, whole-family treatment,” Hattangadi says.
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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, Point32Health companies, are committed to helping every kind of family access the care and resources they need.
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06
Atypical posture, body positioning, or motor development can be an early indicator of autism. One example is tip toeing instead of walking.
Atypical posture
Early signs of autism
05
Children with autism sometimes exhibit longer and more extreme periods of irritability compared to other children.
Irritability
Early signs of autism
04
A child with autism may show little to no positive facial expressions or smiles. They may seem like they’re in their own world.
Limited emotional responses
Early signs of autism
03
A child with autism might not start making noises or talking at the typical milestones.
Delays in verbal communication
Early signs of autism
02
Children with autism may engage in repetitive behaviors, also known as “stimming.” Some examples include hand flapping, rocking, humming, banging, scratching, and spinning.
Repetitive behaviors
Early signs of autism
01
Limited eye contact can present itself not only in interactions with strangers, but family and friends as well.
Limited eye contact
Early signs of autism
Through each stage – both the joyful and the heartbreaking – women are creating their own interpretations of what it means to be a mom. That title is expansive, dynamic, and unpredictable, ebbing and flowing with the triumphs and challenges that come with raising children. Discover how these women define their own motherhood, and hear from the experts on the state of maternal health care.
Limited eye contact can present itself not only in interactions with strangers, but family and friends as well.
Limited eye contact
Every day, as Gloria Ricardi Castillo drove her son Fabian home from daycare and they drove over a bridge, she would call out, “water,” and he would look out the window at the river below and reply from the back seat, “water.” Then one day, Fabian didn’t reply. Castillo looked in her rearview mirror and noticed that her 16-month-old son was simply staring at his shoes.
When they got home, she observed that Fabian wasn’t making eye contact or connecting with her.
“That’s the first time I noticed something was different, but I thought he was sick with a cold or a stomachache,” Castillo says.
Later that month, Fabian was in his playpen and Castillo noticed him flapping his hands. What she didn’t know at the time, is that this is referred to as stimming, which is shorthand for self-stimulation. She remembered seeing a movie about a child with a disability who also flapped his hands and decided to call a friend who is a psychologist. The friend advised Castillo to get Fabian evaluated.
Before she had time to make the appointment, Castillo saw a pediatrician on a morning news program describing the red flags of autism, and she recognized them in her son.
“Fabian had been very affectionate and very engaging, but he completely changed. He was still young,” Castillo says, but he kept to himself, “and that was very worrisome.”
She took her son to a psychologist at a local Boston hospital who dismissed her concerns and told her to go home. Castillo began doing her own research anyway, as she strongly suspected her son had autism.
Children with autism may engage in repetitive behaviors, also known as “stimming.” Some examples include hand flapping, rocking, humming, banging, scratching, and spinning.
Repetitive behaviors
Early signs of autism
Early signs of autism
Every day, as Gloria Ricardi Castillo drove her son Fabian home from daycare and they drove over a bridge, she would call out, “water,” and he would look out the window at the river below and reply from the back seat, “water.” Then one day, Fabian didn’t reply. Castillo looked in her rearview mirror and noticed that her 16-month-old son was simply staring at his shoes.
When they got home, she observed that Fabian wasn’t making eye contact or connecting with her.
“That’s the first time I noticed something was different, but I thought he was sick with a cold or a stomachache,” Castillo says.
Caregivers might be the first to notice signs
Mothers and parent caregivers in general have such an important role in identifying the earliest signs of autism.
Castillo is one of countless mothers (and caregivers) who are the first to detect signs of autismin their children. Their persistence can’t be understated, according to Suzanne Goh, a board-certified pediatric behavioral neurologist and the co-founder and chief medical officer of Cortica, a whole-child, physician-led autism care provider with a national network of centers.
“Mothers and parent caregivers in general have such an important role in identifying the earliest signs of autism,” Goh says. “For most children, a diagnosis of autism can be reliably made between 18 and 24 months, but the earliest signs come even well before that.”
A child with autism might not start making noises or talking at the typical milestones.
Delays in verbal communication
Early signs of autism
Castillo is one of countless mothers (and caregivers) who are the first to detect signs of autismin their children. Their persistence can’t be understated, according to Suzanne Goh, a board-certified pediatric behavioral neurologist and the co-founder and chief medical officer of Cortica, a whole-child, physician-led autism care provider with a national network of centers.
“Mothers and parent caregivers in general have such an important role in identifying the earliest signs of autism,” Goh says. “For most children, a diagnosis of autism can be reliably made between 18 and 24 months, but the earliest signs come even well before that.”
The importance of early detection
A child with autism may show little to no positive facial expressions or smiles. They may seem like they’re in their own world.
Limited emotional responses
Early signs of autism
When Beth Whitney’s husband noted that their first-born son, Jake, wasn’t making eye contact with him or others or responding to his name, she brushed it off. Jake made good eye contact with her, so she didn’t see a problem. At around 9 months, Jake began flapping his arms (stimming) when he got excited, but Whitney says she thought that’s what all babies did.
“When I look at videos, it pains me because the signs of autism were right there, and I probably would have picked up on them if Jake wasn’t my first child,” Whitney says. “At the time, he just seemed like a happy baby.
”But when Jake passed his first birthday without talking, Whitney, who is now the field development manager of the New England chapter of Autism Speaks, says she and her husband were motivated to seek answers. Jake was first diagnosed with a speech disorder and then with PDD. Though Jake’s doctors didn’t think he had autism, they gave him the PDD diagnosis so he could get started on therapies immediately.
And that was key.
Goh explains that early detection allows for early intervention and access to medical care and developmental and behavioral services, including occupational, speech, language, and physical therapy, and a type of behavioral service called applied behavior analysis or ABA.
Another benefit of early detection and intervention is that it improves the chances of a child going to mainstream kindergarten.
All of these therapies can help a child to develop the brain networks, they can foster brain development in key developmental domains like the sensory system, motor development, cognitive and language development, and social-emotional development,” Goh says. “The earlier this happens, the greater the impact can be on long-term brain development.”
Children with autism sometimes exhibit longer and more extreme periods of irritability compared to other children.
Irritability
Early signs of autism
When Beth Whitney’s husband noted that their first-born son, Jake, wasn’t making eye contact with him or others or responding to his name, she brushed it off. Jake made good eye contact with her, so she didn’t see a problem. At around 9 months, Jake began flapping his arms (stimming) when he got excited, but Whitney says she thought that’s what all babies did.
“When I look at videos, it pains me because the signs of autism were right there, and I probably would have picked up on them if Jake wasn’t my first child,” Whitney says. “At the time, he just seemed like a happy baby.
”But when Jake passed his first birthday without talking, Whitney, who is now the field development manager of the New England chapter of Autism Speaks, says she and her husband were motivated to seek answers. Jake was first diagnosed with a speech disorder and then with PDD. Though Jake’s doctors didn’t think he had autism, they gave him the PDD diagnosis so he could get started on therapies immediately.
And that was key.
Goh explains that early detection allows for early intervention and access to medical care and developmental and behavioral services, including occupational, speech, language, and physical therapy, and a type of behavioral service called applied behavior analysis or ABA.
Caring for the entire family
Atypical posture, body positioning, or motor development can be an early indicator of autism. One example is tip toeing instead of walking.
Atypical posture
Early signs of autism
Research shows that early detection and treatment leads to better outcomes for children with autism and can help them reach their full potential in adulthood. But early detection and intervention also benefits the family because parents and caregivers can get the support they need from the beginning.
Wait times for an autism diagnosis can take six months or longer in academic medical centers, often delaying the time before a child can receive interventions. With a national network of pediatric neurologists and other physicians, and a digital front door model, Cortica can provide a diagnosis within 30 days and accelerate the time from diagnosis to implementation of comprehensive interventions, which is why local payer Point32Health collaborated with Cortica to bring their services to their Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan members.
“We hear stories of our members waiting months and months to be evaluated for autism spectrum disorder, delaying much needed therapy and treatment that goes beyond just ABA therapy,” says Jill Borelli, Point32Health’s vice president of behavioral health. “Cortica’s model has been scientifically proven to deliver superior developmental outcomes for children and families.”
Caregivers can learn a lot by hearing from autistic people about their own experiences.
Our philosophy, and I think this has become widely accepted in the field — and also the nature of our collaboration with our partnership with Point32Health — is really understanding that this is a whole-child, whole-family condition and, therefore, deserves whole-child, whole-family treatment,” Hattangadi says.
After reading this article, to what degree do you agree with the following statement?
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, Point32Health companies, are committed to helping every kind of family access the care and resources they need.
Studio/B will share aggregated, anonymized responses with Point32Health.
Thank you for your response!
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