autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains a topic of intense public interest, with debates over rising diagnosis rates, questions about causes, and new developments in treatments and outcomes. In the first episode of Healthy Dialogue, a new podcast from the JAMA Network, I sit down with JAMA Psychiatry Editor Dost Öngür, MD, PhD, and Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD, a professor of developmental neuropsychiatry at Columbia University, to unpack some persistent myths and shed light on how science has evolved our understanding of ASD.

Author/s:

Derek C Angus

Autistic patients

Megan George — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 17:16:22 +0000

Date Added:

July 14, 2025

Journal/Publication:

Canadian Medical Association Journal

Publication Date:

July 13, 2025

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Poster

DOI (1):

https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.250152

Keywords

autism

sensory

delivery of health care

MeSH

delivery of health care

communication

Treatment access

health services accessibility

gender identity

Evidence-based recommendations for ways that primary care clinicians can be helpful to autistic patients. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Ensuring accessibility helps reduce missed health care for autistic people. Health care delivery should be adapted in light of autism-related sensory profiles. Tailored accommodations should be implemented for each autistic patient’s unique communication profiles and preferences. Health care encounters should be as predictable, clear, and unrushed as possible. Autistic people with intersectional (e.g., cultural, gender) identities often experience discrimination in health care settings, which should be mitigated.

Author/s:

Louisa Lok Yee Man, Adeline Lacroix, Meng-Chuan Lai

What Parents Need to Know About Autism Screening and Early Treatment

Alex Haga — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:26:42 +0000

Date Added:

August 10, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publication Date:

August 1, 2024

URL:

What Parents Need to Know About Autism Screening and Early Treatment

Type:

Patient Education Materials

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1324

Keywords

autism

spectrum

children

PMID (1):

38913370

MeSH

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / diagnosis

Autistic Disorder*

Early Diagnosis

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / complications

Autistic Disorder* / therapy

Information for parents about screening and treatment for autism and autism spectrum disorders. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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This JAMA Pediatrics Patient Page describes autism screening for children and how to access therapies.

Author/s:

Vijay Vasudevan, Anne Nagel, Lindsay A Thompson

What Parents Need to Know About Autism Screening and Early Treatment

Alex Haga — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 23:32:41 +0000

Date Added:

June 27, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA Pediatrics

Publication Date:

June 24, 2024

URL:

What Parents Need to Know About Autism Screening and Early Treatment

Type:

Patient Education Materials

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1324

Keywords

autism

children

PMID (1):

38913370

MeSH

autistic disorder

Developmental Disabilities

Language Development Disorders

child

Information for parents about interventions to help children with autism. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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This JAMA Pediatrics Patient Page describes autism screening for children and how to access therapies.

Author/s:

Vijay Vasudevan, Anne Nagel, Lindsay A Thompson

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review

Aubrey Delammermore — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

January 12, 2023

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

January 10, 2023

Issue:

Volume:

329

Pages:

157-168

URL:

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2022.23661

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / epidemiology

irritable mood

central nervous system stimulants

autism

ADHD

PMID (1):

36625807

MeSH

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / drug therapy

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / complications

Central Nervous System Stimulants* / therapeutic use

Autistic Disorder*

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / diagnosis

A review of current knowledge on how to diagnose and manage children with autism spectrum disorder. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Importance: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests, is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 2.3% children aged 8 years in the US and approximately 2.2% of adults. This review summarizes evidence on the diagnosis and treatment of ASD.

Observations: The estimated prevalence of ASD has been increasing in the US, from 1.1% in 2008 to 2.3% in 2018, which is likely associated with changes in diagnostic criteria, improved performance of screening and diagnostic tools, and increased public awareness. No biomarkers specific to the diagnosis of ASD have been identified. Common early signs and symptoms of ASD in a child's first 2 years of life include no response to name when called, no or limited use of gestures in communication, and lack of imaginative play. The criterion standard for the diagnosis of ASD is a comprehensive evaluation with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and is based on semistructured direct observation of the child's behavior and semistructured caregiver interview focused on the individual's development and behaviors using standardized measures, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. These diagnostic measures have sensitivity of 91% and 80% and specificity of 76% and 72%, respectively. Compared with people without ASD, individuals with ASD have higher rates of depression (20% vs 7%), anxiety (11% vs 5%), sleep difficulties (13% vs 5%), and epilepsy (21% with co-occurring intellectual disability vs 0.8%). Intensive behavioral interventions, such as the Early Start Denver Model, are beneficial in children 5 years or younger for improvement in language, play, and social communication (small to medium effect size based on standardized mean difference). Pharmacotherapy is indicated for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as emotion dysregulation or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Risperidone and aripiprazole can improve irritability and aggression (standardized mean difference of 1.1, consistent with a large effect size) compared with placebo. Psychostimulants are effective for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (standardized mean difference of 0.6, consistent with a moderate effect size) compared with placebo. These medications are associated with adverse effects including, most commonly, changes in appetite, weight, and sleep.

Conclusions and relevance: ASD affects approximately 2.3% of children aged 8 years and approximately 2.2% of adults in the US. First-line therapy consists of behavioral interventions, while co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety or aggression, may be treated with specific behavioral therapy or medication.

Author/s:

Hirota, T., King, B. H.

Get SET Early to Identify and Treatment Refer Autism Spectrum Disorder at 1 Year and Discover Factors That Influence Early Diagnosis

Devin Evans — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

April 29, 2021

Journal/Publication:

The Journal of Pediatrics

Publication Date:

April 26, 2021

URL:

Get SET Early to Identify and Treatment Refer Autism Spectrum Disorder at 1 Year and Discover Factors That Influence Early Diagnosis

Type:

Clinical Research Results

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.04.041

Keywords

MeSH

A summary of the impact of screening all children at 12, 18, and 24 months for autism. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Objectives

To examine the impact of a new approach, Get SET Early, on the rates of early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) detection and factors that influence the screen-evaluate-treat chain.

Study design

Following Get SET Early training, 203 pediatricians administered 57,603 total screens using the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Infant-Toddler Checklist at 12, 18, and 24-month well-baby examinations, and parents designated presence or absence of concern. For screen-positive toddlers, pediatricians specified if the child was being referred for evaluation, and if not, why not.

Results

Collapsed across ages, toddlers were evaluated and referred for treatment at a median age of 19 months, and those screened at 12 months (59.4% of sample) by 15 months. Pediatricians referred one-third of screen-positive toddlers for evaluation, citing lack of confidence in the accuracy of screen-positive results as the primary reason for non-referral. If a parent expressed concerns, referral probability doubled, and the rate of an ASD diagnosis increased 37%. Of 897 toddlers evaluated, almost half were diagnosed as ASD, translating into an ASD prevalence of 1%.

Conclusions

The Get SET Early model was effective at detecting ASD and initiating very early treatment. Results also underscored the need for change in early identification approaches to formally operationalize and incorporate pediatrician judgement and level of parent concern into the process.

Author/s:

Pierce, K., Gazestani, V., Bacon, E., Gyurjyan, G., Cook-Clark, T., Karins, K., Courchesne, E., Cheng, A., Barnes, C.C., Nalabolu, S., Cha, D., Arias, S., Lopez, L., Pham, C.

The MMR Vaccine Is Not Associated With Risk for Autism

Jeffrey Wilson — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 14:50:32 +0000

Date Added:

March 6, 2019

Journal/Publication:

Annals of Internal Medicine

Publisher:

American College of Physicians

Publication Date:

March 5, 2019

URL:

The MMR Vaccine Is Not Associated With Risk for Autism

Type:

Patient Education Materials

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.7326/P19-0002

Keywords

autism

vaccines

MMR vaccine

MeSH

measles-mumps-rubella vaccine

vaccination coerage

vaccination

autistic disorder

More evidence that the MMR vaccine is not associated with autism.

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What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Many parents choose not to vaccinate their children because of worry about autism, even though the 1998 study claiming to show that children who receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine were at increased risk for autism was fraudulent. Low MMR vaccination coverage has led to measles epidemics, which can be deadly. Unvaccinated people who develop measles can pass the infection to babies who have not yet been vaccinated. Many studies have shown no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, but a criticism has been that they did not specifically examine whether MMR vaccination could trigger autism in specific groups of susceptible children.

Author/s:

Hviid, A., Hansen J.V., Frisch, M., Melbye, M.