A surprisingly common inquiry to the Autism Society of Colorado is the one where someone — usually not a parent — calls to ask how they should break it to someone that they suspect their child may have autism.

It’s never public school personnel because they are obligated to notify parents of such concerns and they usually have specific guidelines to do so.

Often, the person asking will say that they’ve broached the subject by hinting around or just bringing up the subject; but just as often, the targeted party didn’t take the hint or otherwise took the topic off the table.

If you are a reading this as a parent who has just heard for the first time (or perhaps for the last time) that your child may have autism and you have gulped a deep breath and plunged forward, congratulations! You’ve taken a big step. Please read on. This document is not intended to answer the question of whether or not your child has autism. That will take an experienced professional.

Instead, this document is intended to convince you to continue down the road of getting your child evaluated by qualified school district or psychological or medical personnel.

Whether you are a private day care provider, a well-meaning grand parent, a parent trying to convince a spouse, a close friend, or it is YOUR child’s development in question and you need convincing yourself; our advice is always the same:

When in doubt, check it out!

The subject is never easy to handle but it is vitally necessary, for your conscience if for no other reason, to state your concerns in a frank and to-the-point discussion. If the person is not responsive, write your concerns down and send it to them in a letter, fax or email.

Some points you may want to include are:

• Early diagnosis and intervention are critical. Very often, the earlier a child receives appropriate intervention and therapies, the better the overall prognosis for their future
• Treatment for autism will not harm a child who does not have autism. If there was enough cause for concern that the child had autism, if s/he, in fact does not, then there may be other developmental conditions or delays involved. The treatment would most likely be just as helpful
• No parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder ever regretted acting too early to begin treatment for their child. But too many have said that they regret waiting too long
• Yes, there is a stigma with anything that sets us apart from other, “normal” people — especially if it concerns a developmental disability or mental health issue. That can be extremely difficult to live with. But do you want to live with the question of:  “How would things be different if I’d only acted sooner?”

False Alarm?

• Worst-case scenario for pursuing a developmental evaluation: Your child is merely “delayed” in a few areas but is expected to catch up quickly as soon as he or she begins school. What will you have lost? What will it have cost? What will you have learned?
• Best-case scenario for pursuing a developmental evaluation: Your child does have autism but she is able to get appropriate services right away. By the time she enters Kindergarten, she is virtually developmentally indistinguishable from most of her peers. What will you have gained?

While most circumstances fall somewhere between these two scenarios, the fact is that if there is concern about a child’s development, a child can almost always benefit from the parents learning more about the specific areas of concern.

You have so very little to lose and potentially so very much to gain.

Learn more about the early signs of autism. Check out the following links:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Act Early, Know The Signs” campaign: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly

Autism Society of Colorado brochure including early warning signs and developmental “red flags.”