Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Video 2
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Rate of Diagnosis for Autism Grows
The New York Times
The rate at which doctors diagnosed autism and related disorders in 8-year-olds increased between 2008 and 2010 in some parts of the country, a report released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventionon Thursday said. The average rate was one in 68 children, up from one in 88 in 2008. The report — based not on direct diagnoses but on a review of records — was not nationally representative and drew on data gathered three years before a significant tightening in the clinical definition of autism. The likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of autism has increased sharply over the past three decades, and no one knows why, or whether the 2010 numbers are currently meaningful.
The rate at which doctors diagnosed autism and related disorders in 8-year-olds increased between 2008 and 2010 in some parts of the country, a report released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventionon Thursday said. The average rate was one in 68 children, up from one in 88 in 2008. The report — based not on direct diagnoses but on a review of records — was not nationally representative and drew on data gathered three years before a significant tightening in the clinical definition of autism. The likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of autism has increased sharply over the past three decades, and no one knows why, or whether the 2010 numbers are currently meaningful.
Inside the Mind of a Child With Autism
New York Times
Therapists who specialize in autism often use a child’s own interests, toys or obsessions as a way to connect, and sometimes to reward effort and progress on social skills. The more eye contact a child makes, for example, the more play time he or she gets with those precious maps or stuffed animals.
But now a group of scientists and the author of a new book are suggesting that those favorite activities could be harnessed in a deeper, more organic way. If a child is fascinated with animated characters like Thomas the Tank Engine, why not use those characters to prompt and reinforce social development?
Millions of parents do this routinely, if not systematically, flopping down on the floor with a socially distant child to playact the characters themselves.
“We individualize therapy to each child already, so if the child has an affinity for certain animated characters, it’s absolutely worth studying a therapy that incorporates those characters meaningfully,” said Kevin Pelphrey, director of the child neuroscience laboratory at Yale.
He and several other researchers, including John D. E. Gabrieli of M.I.T., Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge andPamela Ventola of Yale, are proposing a study to test the approach.
The idea came from Ron Suskind, a former Wall Street Journal reporter whose new book “Life, Animated” describes his family’s experience reaching their autistic son, Owen, through his fascination with Disney movies like “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” It was Mr. Suskind’s story that first referred to ‘“affinity therapy.” He approached the researchers to put together a clinical trial based on the idea that some children can develop social and emotional instincts through the characters they love.
Experts familiar with his story say the theory behind the therapy is plausible, given what’s known from years of studying the effects of other approaches.
“The hypothesis they have put forward is sound, and absolutely worth studying,” said Sally J. Rogers, a professor of psychiatry at the MIND Institute of the University of California, Davis. “If you think about these animated characters, they’re strong visual stimuli; the emotions of the characters are exaggerated, those eyebrows and the big eyes, the music accompanying the expressions. Watching those characters is the way many of us learned scripts that are appropriate in social situations.”
But Dr. Rogers cautioned that using animated characters is hardly the key to reaching all autistic children. Many are fascinated by objects or topics without inherent social content — maps, for instance. But for those who fixate on movies, television shows or animated characters, affinity therapy makes sense, she said.
The researchers brought together by Mr. Suskind have written a proposal for a study of the approach. It calls for a 16-week trial for 68 children with autism, ages 4 to 6. Half the children would receive affinity therapy, using the shows or movies they love as a framework to enhance social interaction, building crucial abilities like making eye contact and joint play.
The other half, the control group, would engage in the same amount of interaction with a therapist but in free play, led by the child’s interest. Therapists have had some success using the latter approach, most notably in a therapy called Floortime, developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan.
In autism therapy, progress is measured in increments and tends to be slow, especially in severely affected children, experts say. But the disorder — the autism spectrum, as it’s known — includes a very diverse group of children whose prospects for improvement are unpredictable and individual. Some children develop social skills relatively quickly, while others are stubbornly unreachable.
Dr. Pelphrey said that the affinity approach would incorporate many elements of pivotal response treatment, a type of therapy being intensely studied. It incorporates a system of rewards into normal interactions between a therapist (or parent) and the child, playing together.
Sarah Calzone of Stratford, Conn., said her son, now 7 years old, became more socially adept in a pivotal response trial at Yale. “The way it works is that, for instance, one time the therapist was playing with my son, blowing bubbles,” Ms. Calzone said. “Then the therapist stopped and looked away. Of course my son still wanted to see the bubbles, so he had to stop, too, and look in the same direction, then make eye contact and ask to continue.”
Those two responses, making eye contact and so-called perspective taking, recognizing another person’s point of view, developed quickly in the therapy. Her son, who has engaged in various therapies nearly every day for most of his life, is now in regular classes at school.
Dr. Pelphrey said that affinity therapy would deploy some of the same techniques, with the therapist playacting a favorite character and inhabiting the scenes with the child.
“Instead of watching Thomas the Tank Engine as a reward, for instance, we would have the child enter the social setting, with Thomas and Percy and the other characters,” and learn through them about eye contact, joint play and friendship, he said. The scientists plan to submit their study proposal to the National Institute of Mental Health for funding.
“The whole thing has been exciting, and a little weird,” said Mr. Suskind, now a senior fellow at Harvard, “having these leading neuroscientists listen to me and say, ‘O.K., what can we do to help?’ ”
Diagnosis in Autism: A Survey of Over 1200 Patients in the UK
The results of a survey of almost I300 parent members of autistic societies in the UK are described. The ages of their children ranged from 2 to 49 years. The survey focused on parents' views of the diagnostic process and data were collected on the age at which diagnosis was made, the time taken to obtain a diagnosis and the professionals involved. Differences in geographical area were also assessed. Overall, the results indicate that children are now being diagnosed earlier than in previous decades, but the average age of diagnosis is still around 6 years. There are also wide regional variations in diagnosis. The survey indicates that many parents continue to experience lengthy and often frustrating delays before they finally receive a diagnosis. Moreover, even when this process is completed, the amount of practical help subsequently provided is generally very limited. Factors related to parental satisfaction with the diagnostic process are discussed in detail.
Reference
doi: 10.1177/1362361397012003
Reference
doi: 10.1177/1362361397012003
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
According to the CDC
The rate of autism has steadily increased, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that approximately 2% or more of children from birth to 21 years of age have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in New Jersey.
Autism is a complex condition. No single factor can explain why more children are being identified with ASD, although a combination of genetic and environmental factors play a role. In addition, some of the increase in the rates in the CDC's study may be due to: changes in the diagnosis and treatment, greater awareness, and better record keeping.
Previous CDC Autism Prevalence Study Results
A Decade of Data
With the report released in March 2014, we now have a decade of surveillance data utilizing consistent methodology that presents a clear picture of the trends since 2000. Here are the numbers:
1 in 68 (US); 1 in 45 (NJ)
Report Year: 2014
Surveillance Year: 2010
CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 68 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2010). Data from 11 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 21.9 per 1,000 or 1 in 45. See 2014 Report.
1 in 88 (US); 1 in 49 (NJ)
Report Year: 2012
Surveillance Year: 2008
CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 88 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2008). Data from 14 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 20.5 per 1,000 or 1 in 49. See 2012 Report.
1 in 110 (US)
Report Year: 2009Surveillance Year: 2006
CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 110 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2006).
Data from 11 AADM Network Sites were reviewed. New Jersey was not included in this report. See 2009 Report.
Data from 11 AADM Network Sites were reviewed. New Jersey was not included in this report. See 2009 Report.
1 in 150 (US); 1 in 94 (NJ)
Report Year: 2007Surveillance Year: 2002
CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 150 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2002).
Data from 14 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 10.6 per 1,000 or 1 in 94. This report combined results from 2002 with those from 2000. See 2007 Report.
Data from 14 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 10.6 per 1,000 or 1 in 94. This report combined results from 2002 with those from 2000. See 2007 Report.
1 in 166 (US); 1 in 101 (NJ)
Report Year: 2007Surveillance Year: 2000
CDC’s ADDM Network first reported that about 1 in 166 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2000).
Data from 6 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 9.9 per 1,000 or 1 in 101. This report combined results from 2000 with the data from 2002. See 2007 Report.
Data from 6 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 9.9 per 1,000 or 1 in 101. This report combined results from 2000 with the data from 2002. See 2007 Report.
Other Prevalence Studies/Surveys
National Survey of Children's Health -- 1 in 50 (US)
Report Date: March 20, 2013
Survey Period: 2011 to 2012
Report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr065.pdf
Survey Period: 2011 to 2012
Report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr065.pdf
Statistics as reported by parents of school-aged children (ages 6–17 years) in 2011–2012. Data were drawn from the 2007 and 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), which are independent nationally representative telephone surveys of households with children. The surveys were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics with funding and direction from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Prior report of data from 2007 survey indicated a rate of 1 in 86 children (ages 6-17).
http://www.autismnj.org/prevalence-rates
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