-
Q&A with Renowned Autism Expert Dr. Catherine Lord – Identifying Children with ASD and Finding Services After Diagnosis
Renowned autism expert Dr. Catherine Lord is the Director of NYP’s Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB). Opening in early 2013, CADB will be the region’s most comprehensive center for diagnosing and treating patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Dr. Lord shared some of her...
-
Some Thoughts on Early Diagnosis and Effective Treatment of ASD
I am the director of an Early Intervention agency and until recently was its primary Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) evaluator. I am a bilingual child psychologist and have been diagnosing and ruling out ASD in children below age three for several decades. We’ve seen ever-earlier diagnosis (down...
-
The Early Identification of Young Children with ASD
In developed countries, a child’s initial assessment for ASD typically takes place before they enter elementary school. Usually the question asked at that point is whether or not the child suffers from Autism and what can be done as the child prepares to enter an organized school setting....
-
What Are Your Legal Entitlements Now That Your Child Has Been Diagnosed?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that governs the education of children with disabilities, including developmental delays. Your child with autism has the right to a free appropriate public education under the IDEA. Each state must provide all eligible...
-
Assessment and Understanding of Fear in Children with an ASD
Intense fears and phobias have been reported in up to 64% of children with an ASD (Muris Steerneman, Merckelbach, Holdrinet, & Meesters, 1998). In comparison, only 5% of typically developing children present with intense fears (Ollendick, King, & Muris, 2002). Children with an ASD also have...
-
The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R)
A Scale to Assist the Diagnosis of Autistic Disorder in Adults 18 Years and Older The RAADS-R is an eighty item scale specifically designed to assist clinicians diagnosing Autistic Disorder (AD) in adults eighteen years and older. It contains a total of eighty questions. Sixty-four short...
-
The Very Early Identification of Autism – An Indispensable Goal
The clinical presentation which we call “autism” is now widely believed to be a condition caused my multiple factors with a very variable presentation. In the scientific literature it is frequently called “the autisms”. I would like to present a case which shows that progress in our...
-
Advancing the Evidence-Base in Autism Assessment
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders that share a core set of clinical symptoms that includes impairments in socialization, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests (APA, 2000). Affected individuals may...
-
Importance of Motor Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Experienced clinicians often get their first diagnostic impression from observing their young patients’ initial social response, but also from looking at their odd posture or movements as they walk into the office. In his original paper, Kanner noticed several atypical aspects of his patients’...
-
Overcoming the Challenges of Assessing Young Children for Autism
Assessing young children for autism can be very challenging. It can be quite difficult to be confident in a diagnosis of autism at the earliest ages due to many factors that I’ll highlight below. At the same time it is very important for parents with concerns about their child to have an...
