AAP Issues New Autism Treatment Guidelines
Posted on December 17, 2019
Reuters (12/16) reports, “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Monday issued its first new autism treatment guidelines in 12 years aimed at helping doctors identify at-risk children and getting them the care they need as early as possible.” Due to potential presence of developmental delays in young children with autism, “the report...urges doctors to check for issues during all well-baby visits and refer children for treatment at the first sign of an issue, rather than wait for a formal autism evaluation.” The report also “urges doctors to steer families toward interventions backed by research and away from those with flimsy evidence.” The report was published in Pediatrics.
MedPage Today (12/16) reports, “When it comes to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), early diagnosis, treating common comorbidities, and involving the family in collaborative interventions are key, according to new guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).” The article also points out the relationship to the DSM-V, released by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, where “subtypes of autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorders were collapsed into a single category of ASD.” The 2013 manual introduced “severity testing, which reflects the clinical impairment and service needs of patients.”
FURTHER READING
Autism: AAP Guidance Includes Updates, Searchable Topics, Executive Summary