“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.
This one did.