10-29-2007, 08:59 PM
10-29-2007, 09:37 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/l...9099.story
Doctors: Test kids twice for autism by the age of 2
By Lindsey Tanner
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 parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.
The call for early screening -- as well as symptoms to watch for -- comes in two new reports. They will be released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday at its annual meeting in San Francisco and 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 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.
A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at age 18 months and 24 months.
Another educational tool, a Web site that made its debut in mid-October, offers video clips of autistic kids contrasted with unaffected children's behavior. That Web site -- http://www.autismspeaks.org/ -- is sponsored by two non-profit advocacy groups: Autism Speaks and First Signs.
The two new reports say children with suspected autism should start treatment even before a formal diagnosis. 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. For the very young, 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.
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.
Doctors: Test kids twice for autism by the age of 2
By Lindsey Tanner
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 parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.
The call for early screening -- as well as symptoms to watch for -- comes in two new reports. They will be released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday at its annual meeting in San Francisco and 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 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.
A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at age 18 months and 24 months.
Another educational tool, a Web site that made its debut in mid-October, offers video clips of autistic kids contrasted with unaffected children's behavior. That Web site -- http://www.autismspeaks.org/ -- is sponsored by two non-profit advocacy groups: Autism Speaks and First Signs.
The two new reports say children with suspected autism should start treatment even before a formal diagnosis. 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. For the very young, 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.
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.
10-29-2007, 09:55 PM
more autism speaks junk. and it makes it look like autism is a virus and a developmental stasis. great, let's make autistics feel crummier, sooner. and maybe they aren't ready for socialization. i wasn't really sociable as a kid, but got so getting older. and eye contact makes things really bad for me especially when talking, so don't force it down our throats.
i have a bad feeling autism is going to be just like add/adhd, everyone seems to have it, but only a few have it. now everyone is going to be autistic.
and btw, how is help interpreted, as in turn us into robots and just like a weakened nt? there are things i can do much better than an nt, it's better to work with our strengths.
i have a bad feeling autism is going to be just like add/adhd, everyone seems to have it, but only a few have it. now everyone is going to be autistic.
and btw, how is help interpreted, as in turn us into robots and just like a weakened nt? there are things i can do much better than an nt, it's better to work with our strengths.
10-29-2007, 10:04 PM
Quote:
"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.
Huh?
10-29-2007, 10:09 PM
erkolos Wrote:
Quote:
"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.
Huh?
can you say brainwashing? they will probably put them on many drugs and harm their self esteem to make them into pudding sacks and send them into the institutions.
10-29-2007, 10:13 PM
I wonder how many percent of those autistics receiving Risperdal would be better off without it, some apparently thinks it helped them.
10-29-2007, 11:39 PM
I am not faking or exegderating my ADD-that is 100 % persent true,I can tell you that with my hand on the hart.
My big problems theese days is that the bitterness is so wisible and it shows every time i get into a conversation with a typical NT and I cant help it no matter how much I try to pull my self together...
My woice changes,I come up with bitter comments even though I wasnt going to,even when I just scratch on the top serface of my life-story its there,and so on and so on...
I tried to look a woman in the eyes while talking today,(just to test myself since the psych said Im shy and thats the reason I dont look people in the eyes.)
I emediatly forgot the rest of the sentence and all the next once as we contiued to talk,too.
For how long will this shyness hang on to me then?
So fare its been stuck with me for as long as I can remember...
My big problems theese days is that the bitterness is so wisible and it shows every time i get into a conversation with a typical NT and I cant help it no matter how much I try to pull my self together...
My woice changes,I come up with bitter comments even though I wasnt going to,even when I just scratch on the top serface of my life-story its there,and so on and so on...
I tried to look a woman in the eyes while talking today,(just to test myself since the psych said Im shy and thats the reason I dont look people in the eyes.)
I emediatly forgot the rest of the sentence and all the next once as we contiued to talk,too.
For how long will this shyness hang on to me then?
So fare its been stuck with me for as long as I can remember...
10-31-2007, 08:34 AM
Oh, Emmy - 'shyness' was the word (mis-)applied to me, too. I'm not surprised by your bitterness.
Prompted by Erkolos' post above, a few minutes ago I visited the AutismSpeaks site for the first time. I looked at the 'development milestones' page.
I have to be honest, I would have to answer 'no' to nearly all the questions as they applied to my own children. In fact, I would have been extremely worried by 'yes' answers. Why? Because I would have wondered if my children were developing too slowly. All five met milestones well before the ages mentioned.
Do these 'typical' milestones apply to babies whose mothers are 'typical'? If so, is it because these mothers rarely talk to and interact with their babies? I've watched apparently sane people say something to a baby, watch the baby smile, and then turn away to talk to someone else without waiting for the baby's reply! That, to my way of thinking, is rude.
OK, so a two-month-old baby might not have the control over their tongue to use recognisable words yet - but just watch their thrilled body language when you stick around for a 'conversation'!
Even if they aren't making eye-contact (my eldest certainly didn't - I never bothered whether the rest did) they are still exited by the interaction. You can listen to the grunts and squeaks - after all, it makes at least as much sense as a politician! - and interpret it any way you choose. By the time the baby has some fine motor control over their tongue they will want to talk to you because they know you will listen.
Prompted by Erkolos' post above, a few minutes ago I visited the AutismSpeaks site for the first time. I looked at the 'development milestones' page.
I have to be honest, I would have to answer 'no' to nearly all the questions as they applied to my own children. In fact, I would have been extremely worried by 'yes' answers. Why? Because I would have wondered if my children were developing too slowly. All five met milestones well before the ages mentioned.
Do these 'typical' milestones apply to babies whose mothers are 'typical'? If so, is it because these mothers rarely talk to and interact with their babies? I've watched apparently sane people say something to a baby, watch the baby smile, and then turn away to talk to someone else without waiting for the baby's reply! That, to my way of thinking, is rude.
OK, so a two-month-old baby might not have the control over their tongue to use recognisable words yet - but just watch their thrilled body language when you stick around for a 'conversation'!
Even if they aren't making eye-contact (my eldest certainly didn't - I never bothered whether the rest did) they are still exited by the interaction. You can listen to the grunts and squeaks - after all, it makes at least as much sense as a politician! - and interpret it any way you choose. By the time the baby has some fine motor control over their tongue they will want to talk to you because they know you will listen.