Pediatricians urge autism screening

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

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 — http://www.aap.org/.

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.

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 — http://www.autismspeaks.org/ — 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.

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.

"This is a disorder that is often missed, especially when it's mild, and the mild kids are the ones ... who can be helped the most," Roy said.

Dr. Dirk Steinert, who treats children and adults at Columbia St. Mary's clinic in suburban Milwaukee, said the push for early autism screening is important — but that it's tough to squeeze it into a child's regular wellness checkup.

Some pediatricians have tried scheduling a visit just to check for developmental problems, when children are 2 1/2. The problem is that insurance doesn't always cover these extra visits, Steinert said.

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AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/

[Aymerlu 3]

I hope parents have an easier time getting their child tested than I did. I was pushed off as being "the crazy parent" (well, yeah maybe I am ) and when I finally started getting an attitude, it took 8 months for my son to get screened and that was the soonest appointment! I could go on and on about autism and the autism spectrum. Sometimes I feel our kids are the governements guinea pigs. Why is autism so high here??? All our processed foods? Immunizations? Pesticides?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sometimes I feel our kids are the governements guinea pigs. Why is autism so high here??? All our processed foods? Immunizations? Pesticides?

I was wondering that too. Is the rate the same around the world?

[chri'stina 190]

I have heard so many conflicting things on immunizations and autism. I have been looking into it b/c of having a baby soon and there is so much to worry about! I read some people debating it on a baby website.

One thing someone wrote, which I don't have the source for at the moment, is that a study was done in Japan in the 90's, where they stopped certain immunizations that some believe to trigger austim, and yet the rate of austistic diagnosis stayed the same or even increased without the immunizations. So some believe that only b/c the immunization is given around the same time that autistic symptoms appear is why ppl link MMR shots to autism. But then others feel it did have an effect on their child developing autism.

Then I also read that the immunizations are meant to keep away diseases that are far more damaging than austism, and that the risk is worth it.... and that countries that do not have all these immunizations have higher death rates in children b/c they are not vaccinated against enough diseases.

It's just a lot to think about!

[Aymerlu 3]

Sometimes I feel our kids are the governements guinea pigs. Why is autism so high here??? All our processed foods? Immunizations? Pesticides?

I was wondering that too. Is the rate the same around the world?

I'm not really sure, but when my husband and I first met I had a hard time explaining to him what autism was because it's not that prevalent in Egypt. He taught for 17 years in Egypt and he can only vividly remember 2 kids that he thought acts similar to my son. Made me think though. All the food there is all natural, no preservatives and they do not get immunations BAM, BAm, BAM like we do here.

[Aymerlu 3]

I have heard so many conflicting things on immunizations and autism. I have been looking into it b/c of having a baby soon and there is so much to worry about! I read some people debating it on a baby website.

Then I also read that the immunizations are meant to keep away diseases that are far more damaging than austism, and that the risk is worth it.... and that countries that do not have all these immunizations have higher death rates in children b/c they are not vaccinated against enough diseases.

It's just a lot to think about!

My son was offically diagnosed with autism when we was 6, right after I had my daughter. I chose at that time to have her immunized for 1 thing at a time and not get slammed with 4 shots on her her first shot visit. (4 or more was what was offered, I really don't remember now) I really didn't feel her immune system needed to be overloaded. Her and my son were both premies, yet my son received all his shots like clockwork which also makes me wonder........ After I joined some autism support groups I found out that many parents were doing the same thing I did. I think/know when you have a child with autism you will grasp at anything to know why your son or daughter is like how they are.

Having a special child (and my child is soooo darn special to me) can be very challenging and it will and does affect so many things in your lives from you friends, family, neighbors, etc. I know God has a reason for my son being like he is. He has already overcome so many things that many kids take for granted. I love my son. He's the sweeting little man in my life.

Something else I often wonder is this. ADD/ADHD are also under that autism umbrella and we all know many kids are mis-diagnosed just because they are kids and they are hyper! A lot of parents just don't make their kids mind either and I think that will also slap a diagnosis of some sort on a kid. Just something I wonder about when I see the stats on autism.

I do wish an answer would be found to why so many kids have this diagnosis.

[bgreed 0]

Autism it a kind of scary thing and happens on a number of levels. For instance my son who is now sixteen has what is known as Aspergers which is a very high functioning form of Autism. In his case he doesn't see the normal social cues that the rest of us take for granted. So he has a difficult time making and maintaining friendships because whatever is in his mind comes out of his mouth good or bad there it is. When he was young he tended to fixate on things. For instance trains and Thomas the tank engine were something that he would focus on for hours. We thought it was just an ove zealouness about this subject, but then it went to Pokemon, wanna know how many Pokemon there are and what their different configurations are? Well my son could tell you in detail. Now on the other side of the coin those with autism tend to be very bright and creative. In first grade my son would illustrate a book and then tell me or my wife what he wanted to say under each picture. Stuff that blew his first grade teacher away. Even today he comes up with thoughts and perspectives that amaze his teachers and every kid that meets him thinks he's really smart, but hes the kinda strange really smart kid.

Sometimes its been tough especially when it comes to relationships trying to explain how to better relate to people and adjust your actions accordingly. Now an interesting thing is that ever sice he was little and even today pretty girls are attracted to him not only because he's a pretty good looking guy (must get his looks from his dad ) but because of his sense of humor and that he speaks way above his age.

Why does he have autism? Who knows. Why is there so much Autism diagnoised? Another good question. All I can do is give my opinion. Which is I wonder if there really is more autisim than before or is just more conveinent to put a label on someone who doesn't behave in the way that someone else says is normal. If you think about it most of the famous people throughout history had some pretty major quirks and if you stare hard enough you might begin to think that well hey so and so sounds like he had (instert popular malfunction here) so sometimes I relly think that except for severe cases it's a conveinient label to make other fell better about themselves. Maybe their the one who are not normal.

[yassmine2878 1]

Something else I often wonder is this. ADD/ADHD are also under that autism umbrella and we all know many kids are mis-diagnosed just because they are kids and they are hyper! A lot of parents just don't make their kids mind either and I think that will also slap a diagnosis of some sort on a kid. Just something I wonder about when I see the stats on autism.

It seems like there is no happy medium. Children who really do need treatment and support arent getting it because of the mass of mis-diagnosed kids that get lumped in with them. Some have another condition, but it needs to be recognized separately and treated accordingly. Some are children of nutcake parents like my sister, who is convinced her son needs to be tested for autism because he cant do addition and subtraction at the age of 3!