Monterey Bay Forum

“Be sure to screen children for delays” said the first lecture at the Disability conference held in San Francisco March 11 & 12, 2010. One in five (1/5th) of all children have some kind of delay when they enter school – hence it is very important that physicians and other health professionals screen for delays.

One screening tool for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) is the CHAT. The CHAT is just one of various tools available to screen for ASD.

Do you have concerns about your child? There are certain signs to watch for in children age six months to one year old. Many of these are non-verbal signs: not turning head when child’s name is called, lack of smiling and eye contact, not engaging in “joint attention” .

I will provide free screenings for autistic spectrum disorder. Contact Dr. Jackson at 831 688-6002 (Aptos, California phone) or email to DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

Identify autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) early. Treat it appropriately. And many children will substantially improve.

written by Dr. Cameron Jackson DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

BlogBabel Tags: ASD, Autism, CHAT, joint attention, screening instruments

The next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) more than likely will collapse Asperger’s Disorder and PDD-NOS into “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” (ASD). If you want to comment go to the following web site.

I think the new definition of ASD is cleaner and well written. It still needs something in the diagnostic criteria that addresses how substantially handicapped the person is by his/her particular symptoms.

The flip side of diagnosis is treatment. A diangosis of “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” should include the specific deficits — and degree of deficit — so as to suggest appropriate, individual interventions.

BlogBabel Tags: ASD, asperger's disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, DSM-V, PDD-NOS