The CADIPA, the alpine center for early diagnosis of autism, within the Alpes Isere hospital center in Saint Egrève, receives children, from infants to 18 years old, for ASD screening, autism spectrum disorders. An expert center where a multidisciplinary team works.
The first signs of autism are noticeable before the age of 3. These symptoms are due to brain dysfunction. Autistic people, called neuro-atypical, thus perceive the world in a different way compared to a so-called neuro-typical person. Today, we talk about ASD, autism spectrum disorder, which can range from mild autism to severe autism. Thus, we no longer say autistic Asperger’s, for example. Autism can be hereditary, or due to a pb at birth, such as extreme prematurity, or hypoxia, lack of oxygen in the brain or even due to the advanced age of the father. There is no medicine to cure this disorder.
Autism affects hundreds of thousands of families in France, often helpless in the face of the lack of solutions for the care of their children. The Grande Cause Nationale label was granted to autism in 2012.
– Veronique Pueyo
The Cadipa, an expert screening center for autistic disorders
We went to CAPIDA, in Saint Egrève, the alpine center for early diagnosis of autism. It is an expert centre, with a multidisciplinary team. Its vocation is to detect complex cases referred to it by a family doctor, for example. Doctor Florence Pupier, psychiatrist at Cadipa: “The family fills out a file that we study and then we meet with them, before receiving the child. Parents of young children are often shocked by the news of the diagnosis, while those with older children are almost relieved to finally put a word on what they have perceived in their child since then. several years.”
I know that I am lucky to have succeeded in quickly setting up a support network around us -Célia, mother of Samuel
Célia, who lives in Saint Egrève, is the mother of Samuel, two and a half years old. She realized that there was a problem with her son, watching other children of the same age evolve. “He didn’t respond to her name, he didn’t point with his little finger to ask for something, and he often shouted. We went to see a pediatrician who told me we had to get him out of there. I remember this sentence and there, after the shock of this announcement, I did everything to find a psychomotor therapist, a speech therapist specialized in developmental disorders. “
Célia says that these two professionals helped her and her companion not feel alone in the face of the problems their child was encountering. And then, they found a super nanny : ” She accepts different children and with Samuel, she works! Since he’s been at her house, he’s been saying words, now he’s shouting less. He says mom, dad sleep. He does small activities, like modeling clay. He responds well to care! “
– Veronique Pueyo
A late screening, for Robin
Another story, in a family in Le Touvet. Pauline is the mother of Robin, 8 and a half years old, who has just been tested. But why wait so long? Pauline explains:When Robin was born, he cried a lot. It was very difficult. And then, when his brother was born, a year later, it became hell. We thought that Robin was jealous of his little brother and the psychologist told us that it all came from there. We also saw health professionals, not trained in autism, who made us feel guilty, making us understand that we did not know how to raise our children”. But Robin had behaviors that questioned Pauline all the same: “He could get into terrible fits over misplaced slippers.”
parental burnout
Pauline often cries, she has suicidal thoughts. “I didn’t know it but I had a parental burn-out. At that time, I would have needed help, but with my husband, we were alone. And then, when Robin returned to CP, the things got a little better.”
On the advice of a friend, Pauline then has Robin take tests, who turns out to be gifted. But that didn’t explain everything, until the day we told them about the Cadipa. Robin therefore has an autistic disorder with a very high intellectual potential, which allows him, for example, to adapt to school. “He loves the school environment. Right now he’s reading all about Harry Potter and he’s making friends because he’s solving their rubikscub” Pauline smiled.
So, will the diagnosis change the life of Pauline and her family? “Regarding the family, we will be able to tell them why Robin is like that, because I understand that it is not always easy to accept a child like him. I hope we’ll be more lenient with him.”
– Veronique Pueyo
Accept the child as he is
Samuel will soon be screened at the Cadipa but Célia has no doubts about what we will tell him. “In this adventure, we don’t want to anticipate anything. We tell ourselves that he is already reacting well to the care we have put in place. We hope that it will continue to improve. In any case, we have accepted things. He’s our child, we love him as he is!”
After the screening, the Cadipa offers free autism training workshops for parents, it informs them about what can be put in place to help them. Its role ends there. But, then, the lack of places still remains the number 1 problem for families.
In 2020, Cadipa carried out 155 TSA assessments. It can be attached to 04 76 56 44 04