Differential Diagnosis

While I was familiar with the term co-morbidity, I had not yet heard of differential diagnosis prior to this video.  Differential diagnosis is, put simply, how many diagnoses are needed to accurately describe a set of difficulties.  This can become a very difficult subject as ASD has many overlapping symptoms with conditions such as depression, anxiety, Schizophrenia, etc.  When diagnosing a child, the video stressed that simplicity is usually the key.  To re-iterate this, they referred to the phrase, "If you hear hoof beats, think horses (not zebras)."  Occam's razor is another way this was explained:  it states that plurality should not be postulated without necessity, and that the simplest solution is often the best solution.  In a way, this was almost refreshing to hear as so many people (myself included) in the field of education jump to so many conclusions.  Occam's razor is something that I will definitely think of in my classroom on a daily basis.

Though it seems the assessment process is difficult when trying to find out if co-morbidity truly exists (particularly because there are not many instruments that are normed on individuals with ASD), I do not necessarily think that co-morbidity would greatly influence the way a FBA is filled out as you should be solely looking at the behavior at hand and what is coming before and after.  When looking at an individual with ASD and another condition, perhaps more stress should be placed on reviewing the medical history of the child as well as interviewing members of the family/team in order to get an in-depth background of the child.  I do think, however, co-morbidity would have an effect on the outcome of a FBA (i.e. a behavior plan).  For example, treatment of behavior as a result of a child on medication would be different than a child not on medication.  What you would be seeing during the school day would actually be a side-effect of medication rather than a behavior.  If a child is becoming lethargic and uninterested during a particular time of the day, rather than altering the school routine to eliminate this "behavior," perhaps the medication could be taken at another time of the day.

I think this video did an excellent job explaining co-morbidity and differential diagnosis, and made me more aware of the complications that arise when making a diagnosis.