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The AAP Empowers Pediatricians to Help Kids with ASDs

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Thank you to the American Academy of Pediatrics for publishing an updated guide for their 67,000 members about identification, evaluation and management of children on the autism spectrum.  Pediatricians have a lot of things going on every day and could use a primer, or a condensed guide, on what the basic level of care should be for kids and families affected by ASD.  Here, thanks to Drs. Susan Hyman, Susan Levy and Scott Myers, from the council of the AAP on children with disabilities, they have one.  This podcast will summarize the main points of what the guidance document says.  Please download it and share it by clicking here:  https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2019/12/15/peds.2019-3447.full.pdf 

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Autism: Difference or Dysfunction?

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The question of whether or not autism is a difference or a true dysfunction in brain development has been debated for years.  A new study from Canada demonstrates that within an autism diagnosis, there is less of a difference in symptoms in the last 5 years than there was 30 years ago.  This raises a lot of questions about what autism researchers have been studying lately.  It also reinvigorates the discussion of whether the heterogeneity issue in autism has become such an issue that those with a true dysfunction are not getting the services they need, because of an interpretation that autism is just a difference.  The podcast includes thoughts of the community voiced on social media as well as opinions of the ASF scientific advisory board.

Article is open access here:  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2747847 

 

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The ASF Day of Learning mini-recap

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Did you miss the ASF Day of Learning in NYC but want to hear some teasers before they are available online?  Listen to this week’s podcast, and you’ll hear the 12 minute talks distilled to 2 minutes, leaving out a lot of details and eliminating the video part but giving you a quick recap of each.  Topics this year included:  1) What have we learned this last year?  2) Are Boys and Girls with Autism Different? 3) Does diet make a difference in autism?  4) Is medical marijuana a treatment option? 5) Why won’t my child sleep and 6) How can we improve adult outcomes in people with autism?  ASF also announced 8 new pre and post-doctoral fellowships on Wednesday, filling out an already amazingly active autism awareness month.   Stay tuned for the complete presentations to appear on the ASF homepage.