 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every year more than 24,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism. Once a child is diagnosed with autism it will never completely go away, but new research reveals early diagnosis and management can lead to significant quality of life improvement.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published two new clinical reports that offer strategies to help pediatricians and parents diagnose and treat children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) sooner and more effectively.
Text Continues Below
The first clinical report lays out specific signs and symptoms both a childs parents and his or her pediatrician should look for. Most cases of ASD are recognized at about 18 months of age when a childs language is delayed. Study authors believe there are several signs of ASD that are recognizable much earlier. Not turning to look at things, not pointing to objects, lack of babbling and delays in smiling and eye contact are a few of the early warning signs. Also, if a child forms attachments with hard objects like pens, keys or action figures rather than soft objects like blankets or stuffed animals, it might also be an early indicator of autism.
If any of these signs are present, the AAP guidelines recommend the childs pediatrician use a standardized screening tool to assess the child for ASD. The AAP report also suggests universal screening be done on all children at 18 and 24 months.
In a second report published by the AAP, ASD management guidelines are reccomended. According to the report, a child diagnosed with ASD should engage in intensive intervention at least 25 hours per week, 12 months per year. The child should also have a low student-to-teacher ratio in school, and substantial one-on-one learning time. Complementary and alternative medicine therapies are becoming more and more popular to treat ASD so pediatricians need to be knowledgeable about available therapies.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: PEDIATRICS, 2007;120
|
.gif)
