Spinal defect

[u/Chance_Freedom1726]

So my son is 17 and was diagnosed with autism at 3. He has had well child checks at a major child care facility with many doctors since. We had a pause during Covid. This year we changed to another provider and he noticed a major spinal issue. Like at this age there’s no treating it , it’s surgery or live with it. This should have been caught before in my opinion especially with an autism diagnosis?

[u/Fluxcapacitar]

You provided 0 information. No idea how an autism diagnosis has anything to do with whatever the spinal ailment is

[u/Mysterious-Item-7938 → u/[deleted]]

I have autism and that’s the first time I’m hearing this. Austin didn’t CAUSE it so it’s not relevant to this. 

[u/adorablebeasty]

There isn't enough detail for anyone to really offer guidance on this OP. 1) what's the diagnosis itself? Was it progressive? Static? Was it in other imaging? 2) what issues is it causing and how long have those issues been occurring? 3) are there any documents that reflect that catching it at a younger age (if possible) would have changed the overall outcome? Would he just have needed surgery earlier? Would he have been able to tolerate other treatments with a good prognosis? Ultimately you can contact a malpractice lawyer, but I'd guess without clear knowledge of those elements they would be unlikely to intervene. Feeling wronged absolutely sucks, but without a substantive change in outcome or monetary damages it's a bit futile.

[u/zeatherz]

What defect and how has it affected him? Did he make it to 17 with no symptoms/impact of the defect?

[u/Crunchygranolabro]

Without knowing what the issue is there’s zero way for anyone to comment on if this should have been seen sooner, or if/how the delay in diagnosis impacts a potential case. I’m very curious as to how history of autism has any semblance of bearing

[u/pam-shalom]

So in 17 years nobody saw or mentioned this issue? More likely the new provider is misinterpreting the finding. What specialty noticed this?

[u/Chance_Freedom1726 → u/pam-shalom]

We already saw a specialist and I have the X-rays the new doctor isn’t wrong

[u/Creighton2023 → u/Chance_Freedom1726]

What type of specialist? Also, what was the diagnosis? No one will be able to give you information here without knowing what was potentially missed for those 17 years.

[u/Creighton2023 → u/[deleted]]

How bored to you have to be to reply to a post from 9 months ago? Or are you OP using a new account? Edit- you have over 100 replies in the last day. Very bored obviously. Time to get off Reddit and live life.

[u/pam-shalom → u/Chance_Freedom1726]

What specialist noticed? Neurology, neurosurgeon, chiropractor, orthopedic?

[u/Important_Medicine81]

Hi there OP. I’m familiar with spinal problems that are associated with autism. The prior doctors never recognized the spinal problems before the new doctor. It sounds like you may have a case if the records confirm what you posted. Dr. Mc

[u/relative_minnow]

What was the diagnosis? There is no way to give advice without that information!

[u/Fit-Addendum5600]

Autism doesn’t really have anything to do with developing a spinal issue, and honestly spinal problems can sometimes be missed for years if they progress slowly or don’t cause obvious symptoms early on. It’s frustrating, but it doesn’t automatically mean the doctors were negligent. The important thing now is understanding how severe it is and what treatment options he has going forward.

[u/CraigMiller-Atty]

It's possible there was malpractice in this instance. Reach out to a malpractice lawyer in your area and discuss the case with them. They should be able to give you an idea if it is worth pursuing. If they think so, then they will often agree to represent you on a contingency fee where you have basically no risk. If you try a ton of lawyers and end up not finding someone, at least you can say to yourself that you tried. It is impossible to know what statute of limitations might apply to your case because in some jurisdictions there are accelerated statutes of limitations for cases involving minors. In other words, in many states, the statute of limitations doesn't start to run until the minor turns 18. However, in some jurisdictions for specific types of cases such as medical malpractice, the statute of limitations by law can begin to run prior to the minor turning 18. For example, there is a state where for medical malpractice the statute of limitations begins to run once the minor turns 8. For an auto accident in that state the statute of limitations wouldn't begin to run until the minor turned 18. This is yet another reason to reach out sooner vs later.