Autism screening urged for toddlers by age 2

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Autism screening urged for toddlers by age 2

Pediatricians group says early therapy can lessen disorder’s severity

CHICAGO - The country’s leading pediatricians group is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don’t babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don’t point to toys. The advice is meant to help both parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

Symptoms to watch for and the call for early screening come in two new reports. They are being released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday at its annual meeting in San Francisco and will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics and on the group’s Web site.

The reports list numerous warning signs, such as a 4-month-old not smiling at the sound of Mom or Dad’s voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age.

Increasing worries

Experts say one in 150 U.S. children have the troubling developmental disorder.

“Parents come into your office now saying ‘I’m worried about autism.’ Ten years ago, they didn’t know what it was,” said Dr. Chris Johnson of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She co-authored the reports.

The academy’s renewed effort reflects growing awareness since its first autism guidelines in 2001. A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at age 18 months and 24 months.

The authors caution that not all children who display a few of these symptoms are autistic and they said parents shouldn’t overreact to quirky behavior.

Just because a child likes to line up toy cars or has temper tantrums “doesn’t mean you need to have concern, if they’re also interacting socially and also pretending with toys and communicating well,” said co-author Dr. Scott Myers, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician in Danville, Pa.

“With awareness comes concern when there doesn’t always need to be,” he said. “These resources will help educate the reader as to which things you really need to be concerned about.”

Another educational tool, a Web site that debuted in mid-October, offers dozens of video clips of autistic kids contrasted with unaffected children’s behavior. That Web site is sponsored by two nonprofit advocacy groups: Autism Speaks and First Signs. They hope the site will promote early diagnosis and treatment to help children with autism lead more normal lives.

The two new reports say children with suspected autism should start treatment even before a formal diagnosis. They also warn parents about the special diets and alternative treatments endorsed by celebrities, saying there’s no proof those work.

Therapy techniques

Recommended treatment should include at least 25 hours a week of intensive behavior-based therapy, including educational activities and speech therapy, according to the reports. They list several specific approaches that have been shown to help.

For very young children, therapy typically involves fun activities, such as bouncing balls back and forth or sharing toys to develop social skills; there is repeated praise for eye contact and other behavior autistic children often avoid.

Mary Grace Mauney, an 18-year-old high school senior from Lilburn, Ga., has a mild form of autism that wasn’t diagnosed until she was 9.

As a young girl, she didn’t smile, spoke in a very formal manner and began to repeat the last word or syllable of her sentences. She was prone to intense tantrums, but only outside school. There, she excelled and was in gifted classes.

“I took her to a therapist and they said she was just very sensitive and very intense and very creative,” said her mother, Maureen, 54.

Pediatricians should send such children for “early intervention as soon as you even think there’s a problem,” Johnson said.

Dr. Ruby Roy, a pediatrician with Loyola University Medical Center, who treats at least 20 autistic children, applauded the reports.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21515865/

the rise of autism is disturbing. ya gotta really wonder wtf caused such a jump in the disease. what are we eating or drinking or breathing or getting shot up with that has caused this??? It's a subject close to home for me as I have a cousin who is slightly autistic. Sadly he wasn't diagnosed until he started kindergarden and his first 5ish years in school were tuff on him and his parents. I fully support early screening. the sooner an autistic child can be worked with the better for everyone involved.

[Pchan 5,162]

Yep, the earlier the better.

[Mune 100]

Current medicines are causing the autisms...messed up huh? They add mercury to medicines for children. You don't think they would do that right? But, the Bayer company had a defect in some of their products earlier this year that caused aids, so they dropped it into other countries for sale, so they wouldn't lose money...

You wanted to know, you got a wide awakening to it...just passing on the news.

[HKofsesshoumaru 673]

My daughter talks better than most five year olds and some adults, though I wonder if I should still have her checked out?

[Dubird 6,815]

I don't think that it's as much an increase in the number of cases as an increase in the number of diagnosed cases. More knowledge means better ways to detect autisim, even if it's not something we can cure.