|
 CHICAGO (Reuters Health) - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
on Monday issued its first new autism treatment guidelines in 12
years aimed at helping doctors identify at-risk children and getting
them the care they need as early as possible.
Since developmental delays are often present in very young children
with autism, the report, published in the journal Pediatrics, urges
doctors to check for issues during all well-baby visits and refer
children for treatment at the first sign of an issue, rather than
wait for a formal autism evaluation.
More than five million Americans are living with autism, a spectrum
of disorders marked by deficits in social communication and
interaction and repetitive behaviors of widely varying severity.
"The benefit of identifying children as early as possible is they
can then be referred for treatment," Dr. Susan Levy, a developmental
and behavioral pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
and co-author of the report, said in a phone interview.
Early treatment, and particularly behavioral interventions, do make
a difference, Levy said.
Since 2007, when AAP published its last two guidance documents, the
number of children in the United States diagnosed with autism has
risen sharply. Autism now affects 1 in 59 children in the United
States, up from 1 in 155 in 2007.
[to top of second column] |
In that time, scientists have developed a better understanding of
the potential risk factors and genes that contribute to autism, the
related medical and behavioral conditions that commonly occur in
children with the condition, and have detailed evidence on which
interventions work best.
"This report is really focused on educating pediatricians and other
healthcare providers about all the options and issues, and working
to empower them since they're in the front lines to make the early
referrals," Levy said.
The report urges doctors to steer families toward interventions
backed by research and away from those with flimsy evidence. It
specifically calls out many nutritional interventions that "do not
have evidence to support their use."
It also focuses on the need to screen for and treat other conditions
that commonly occur in children with autism.
Some 40% of individuals with autism have intellectual disability,
the report said, and about 40% to 60% of school-aged children and
adults with autism have anxiety disorders. Others include
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), language disorders,
sleep and feeding disorders, gastrointestinal symptoms and seizures.
The report encourages doctors to share decision making with families
and help them plan for when a child transitions to adolescence and
adulthood.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
