[E. Pluribus Unum]

I have a nephew whose second grade parochial school teacher diagnosed him as autistic and wanted to put him in special classes because he was obsessed with dinosaurs.

My sister (who is a public school administrator) yanked him immediately and sent him to a private all-boy school, where he thrived. He's a senior in college now, and doing quite well.

[Born Conservative]

I have a nephew whose second grade parochial school teacher diagnosed him as autistic

Good for your sister. A TEACHER has absolutely NO BUSINESS diagnosing autism. That, by law, is left for a physician to do.

[Scotswife]

“second grade parochial school teacher diagnosed him as autistic “

There is nothing in the background of an elementary school teacher that qualifies them to make any sort of medical diagnosis.

Sure - they may wind up working with autistic kids, and one child’s symptoms may remind them of another - but the symptoms could be caused by something else.

They can pull a parent aside and say “this is how Jonny has been behaving in class and I recommend you have him evaluated by a physician...”

But they cannot say “Johnny is autistic”
No way, no how.