In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford Medicine researchers had to pause a study of autism treatment in preschoolers. The participants, young children with speech delays, had been coming to Stanford 12 hours a week for a therapy called pivotal response treatment, which uses autistic children’s interests to motivate them to talk. Read more ›
The CDC and National Health Statistics Reports estimate that there is a 1-2% chance of a child being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the rates for boys are higher than that for girls. So, if your child has just been diagnosed with autism, you are not alone. Read more ›
An autism diagnosis can bring denial, confusion, or — in some cases — relief. But in order to move past difficult feelings and provide the right support for your child, you need to create and maintain a stable home environment. Read more ›
If your child has a developmental, learning, or behavioral problem, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician has the training and expertise to evaluate and care for your child. Developmental-behavioral pediatricians possess training and experience to consider, in their assessments and treatments, the medical and psychosocial aspects of children’s and adolescents’ developmental and behavioral problems. Read more ›
Children covered under Medicaid are twice as likely to be diagnosed with disorders such as ADHD or autism compared with those who have private insurance, a study published Wednesday by JAMA Psychiatry found. Read more ›
That sing-song speech parents use when talking to their babies is universal, and infants tend to prefer it. So, when a baby doesn’t seem to engage with this melodic “motherese,” or baby talk, it can be an early sign of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Read more ›
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that among 8-year-old children, 1 in 36 are autistic. This number has increased from the one in 44 prevalence reported in previous estimates. Read more ›
Parenting a neurodivergent child can be exhausting. The stress, the worry, the ongoing lists of extra things to monitor and manage can seem endless. Often it feels like there’s no spare moment to do anything other than be on constant guard for what is coming or might be coming. Read more ›
Training community members to help families navigate obstacles to care increases the likelihood that children from low-income and minority groups will be assessed for autism by specialists, according to a new study. The approach could help reduce disparities in autism diagnosis and treatment. Read more ›
Being social and making friends isn’t always easy. Relationships have many subtleties. But people with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, struggle more than most. For them, communicating with others can be very difficult. Read more ›
