Trenna Sutcliffe, M.D.

So when the children talk about that, they actually relate to their own situations and they start to say like, well, Johnny came home from school crying because nobody wants to play with him because he always messes up rules to the game.

So when the children talk about that, they actually relate to their own situations and they start to say like, well, Johnny came home from school crying because nobody wants to play with him because he always messes up rules to the game.

It's mostly primary elementary school age. So I feel like by the time I get to a second grader, they are second, third, fourth, fifth. They're able to share these stories.

It's mostly primary elementary school age. So I feel like by the time I get to a second grader, they are second, third, fourth, fifth. They're able to share these stories.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. When they're older, they'll talk about themselves. It's hard to reflect on your own feelings and thoughts. For a child to identify their own emotions and the why behind their emotions is challenging.

Yeah. When they're older, they'll talk about themselves. It's hard to reflect on your own feelings and thoughts. For a child to identify their own emotions and the why behind their emotions is challenging.

Correct.

Correct.

Autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder.

I have so much to say about autism, the diagnosis and how we make it and how it's changed so much over the years. So autism spectrum. So first, it's a spectrum, huge spectrum of what this means when we talk about autism spectrum.

I have so much to say about autism, the diagnosis and how we make it and how it's changed so much over the years. So autism spectrum. So first, it's a spectrum, huge spectrum of what this means when we talk about autism spectrum.

It goes from what people remember it from decades ago as from nonverbal, very little communication skills, being somewhat isolated, not interacting with other people, mannerisms such as flapping your hands. That's sort of a classic description that we do remember from over the last couple of decades. Nowadays, many children who have a lot of speech and language skills

It goes from what people remember it from decades ago as from nonverbal, very little communication skills, being somewhat isolated, not interacting with other people, mannerisms such as flapping your hands. That's sort of a classic description that we do remember from over the last couple of decades. Nowadays, many children who have a lot of speech and language skills

who do communicate a lot, but struggle with the social communication that we have with each other, who have many, many strengths, but do struggle with social skills and do have some restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, they also qualify under this umbrella term called autism spectrum disorder. And this term, autism spectrum disorder, that term came out in 2013 with the DSM-5.

who do communicate a lot, but struggle with the social communication that we have with each other, who have many, many strengths, but do struggle with social skills and do have some restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, they also qualify under this umbrella term called autism spectrum disorder. And this term, autism spectrum disorder, that term came out in 2013 with the DSM-5.

So how we diagnose it is based on, again, clinical traits, but the definition and the checklist of those traits have actually changed many times over the last few decades. So currently, it is you work with an expert who has a lot of experience with autism, and they do an analysis of someone's behavior.

So how we diagnose it is based on, again, clinical traits, but the definition and the checklist of those traits have actually changed many times over the last few decades. So currently, it is you work with an expert who has a lot of experience with autism, and they do an analysis of someone's behavior.