Getting On the
How can early diagnosis of
autism spectrum disorder and
access to care help kids on
the spectrum achieve their
potential? D
uring Maya’s* first birthday
celebration, her mother knew
something was different.

“We were singing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and
she had such a blank stare. In that moment,
I knew something was off,” recalls Elizabeth
Chaillou, who perhaps had special insight
into typical childhood milestones given that
Maya is the youngest of her five children.

Chaillou also noticed for several months
that Maya didn’t respond to her name,
make eye contact with people outside of
their family, say any words or point to her
toys. Chaillou raised these concerns with
Maya’s pediatrician who connected the
Chaillou family to their county’s infants and
toddlers program.

Eventually, Maya began receiving weekly
visits from an occupational therapist,
speech therapist and a special educator, who
16 Washington FAMILY APRIL 2022
expressed concerns about autism. When
Maya was nearly 2 years old, she underwent
a comprehensive assessment at The Center
for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

“They diagnosed her on that very same
day with autism,” recalls Chaillou. “I think
I knew in my heart that was what it was,
but hearing those words brought a flood of
emotion. I told my husband, ‘She’s going
to be with us our whole lives.’ My husband
said, ‘Liz, we have to take it one day at a
time.’ I was reminded (that) she was my
daughter the day before the diagnosis and
the day after the diagnosis.”
tell whether the differences they notice
are within the broad category of normal
childhood development or something else?
The first step is understanding what autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) is and is not.

“Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder
that affects a person throughout the entire
life span. It impacts social learning, social
communication and aspects of cognitive
development. Children with autism may
also engage in repetitive behaviors and have
sensory sensitivities,” explains Dr. Anne Inge,
Ph.D., a psychologist and the clinical director
of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders
at Children’s National Hospital.

“When you’ve met one person with
autism, you’ve met one person with autism”
Is it autism?
Like Chaillou, many parents of young is a familiar saying among those in the
children may sense something is “off” with autism community. The disorder manifests
their developing child. But how can they very differently in children with ASD.