Our former daughter-in-law decided to find a therapist who would declare our granddaughter autistic, probably in the hope of getting in on the trend. Totally ridiculous, we thought, but there are plenty of therapists out there who will gladly supply the diagnosis.
My son is having this battle with his ex over the labeling of their 5 year old son. He was a late talker, but now he’ll talk your ear off and has an amazing vocabulary. He’s not interested in the “normal” things for a 5 year old - he’d rather go to a nursery and pick out plants than go to a toy store, and he’d rather watch youTubes about space that watch Paw Patrol. He does have his quirks...finds it hard to make and keep eye contact, and still must be coached through normal interactions (saying hello, goodbye, thank you), so - having had three of my own - I’ll admit he is a quirky kid. But the therapists and social workers take each of his quirks and check them off on the “autistic” checklist, and the ex-wife pursues labels for him as though they were medals. I think it’s a bit of Münchausen syndrome, that she thinks her obsession with it proves that she’s a better parent. In truth, the boy is so much happier when he is with his dad, and I think he should be allowed to be himself.