Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs Developmental disabilities like autism strike about five percent of all children. Statistics show that traditional tests label about 60 to 70 percent of those as mentally retarded. Now, a new diagnostic tool is proving that autistics may have strong mental abilities even though they can't communicate. Recently, doctors diagnosed two-year-old Dominick as autistic, saying he had the intelligence of an eight-month-old. Dominick has trouble speaking and paying attention. His mom, Maureen, believes that's why he did poorly on standardized tests, which required him to identify pictures and stack building blocks. "I liken it to giving an oral test to a deaf child," says Maureen. "Just because they don't respond appropriately doesn't mean they're stupid. It just means they're deaf." Dominick was put through another test, but this one didn't require him to communicate. Just to listen... and watch. It's called information processing procedure, or IPP. A child sits on his or her parent's lap and observes a series of demonstrations. Behind a curtain, an examiner measures the child's behavior and reactions -- smiling, finger pointing and heart rate. Greg Alberts, M.D., is the chief neuropsychologist at Bancroft in Haddonfield, N.J. "We know children are paying attention to what we're presenting to them," he says. "We know they are trying to understand it when there's a reduction in heart rate activity." Dominick performed at a level similar to a typical child his age. The results confirmed what his parents already knew -- that he isn't dumb, just different.
Instead of being written off, Dominick is already improving with therapy. Dominck's father, Bernie, says, "Now he'll look directly at you. He'll initiate eye contact, which he would never do before." IPP, which is covered by some insurance companies, costs $1,600. Testing sites are at Bancroft, located in Haddonfield, N.J., and Montreal Children's Hospital in Canada. More may be added in the near future. Since the test is new to the U.S., few pediatricians are familiar with it. However, experts agree that no matter what the test, the results are often subjective. The outcome depends on how much the test-giver knows about autism and other developmental disabilities. If you would like more information, please contact:
Bancroft
|
