Annotation Planning and managing health care for individuals with autistic spectrum conditions presents a unique set of challenges. This is a ground-breaking and invaluable volume addressing these issues from the point of view of the health professionals who have to.

This book provides an understanding of the challenges that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face in receiving medical care and helps equip medical professionals to overcome these challenges to provide high quality, compassionate medical care to this population. The book is divided into two sections. The first provides a broad perspective, providing background about the health care needs of patients with ASD and potential barriers to care that they may experience, as well as an overview of general principles in the delivery of care for patients with ASD. In the second section, the text focuses on specific medical issues and specialties, taking a systems-based approach to cover every major area of medical care. Each of these chapters discusses the problems in that area of medicine that are commonly encountered in the ASD population and the best approaches to managing these issues. The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Medical Care in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder is the ultimate resource for all physicians, allied health care professionals, medical students, residents, primary care providers, and specialists who treat patients with ASD.

'You'll just feel a little scratch then it will all be over.' This well-worn phrase to reassure patients about injections is unlikely to win over the patient if they happen to have autism. Communication difficulties, sensory overload and extreme discomfort with physical contact are all traits common in autism that make basic patient care and routine medical procedures extremely difficult. In a patient who is exquisitely sensitive to touch, how do you go about taking blood pressure or dressing a wound? How can you be sure that your autistic patient has given `informed' consent to treatment if you aren't sure that they have really understood the implications? What do you do about it? Equally, for people with autism, or the parent or carer of someone on the spectrum, healthcare issues loom very large in daily concerns. Health Care and the Autism Spectrum is a ground-breaking volume that addresses the ethical issues as well as the practical challenges that everyone involved has to deal with. Every health care professional will have an increasing number of autistic patients on their list as diagnosis of this condition continues to spiral. Consequently, this book is urgently needed.

This unique resource is designed to be a practical, user-friendly guide for pediatricians, primary care providers, and all healthcare providers who work with children with autism spectrum disorder. Diagnosing and Caring for the Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder offers state-of-the art instruction to clinicians on how to recognize, diagnose and assist children with autism spectrum disorders, from early in life to transition to adulthood. This book will also delve into how to support pediatric patients by working with families, and discuss how to best interact with and support these families. The book opens with a comprehensive introduction of ASD and obstacles to diagnosis and common myths. Section Two is devoted to the early recognition of atypical development and reviews the steps in diagnosing autism, including the evaluation, the diagnostic visit, the developmental exam, and the discussion of findings with parents. Section Three covers treatment and interventions for the autism spectrum and includes a discussion on alternative therapies and how to direct parents toward evidence-based or plausible treatments. Section Four and Five addresses special topics that are relevant to the PCP’s or pediatrician’s long-term relationship with families, including chapters on anxiety, parents, challenging behaviors and common scenarios that occur across childhood for those who have ASD. Later chapters delve more deeply into providing informed, sensitive care for patients with intersecting identities, and discusses how gender identity and cultural perspective and attitudes can impact the pediatric patient with ASD. Engaging, and written in a conversational style, Diagnosing and Caring for the Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be an ideal resource for the pediatrician, primary care provider, and all healthcare providers working with children with ASD, providing concrete, step-by-step methods that readers can incorporate into their own practice.

A review of the current science of identifying and treating autism spectrum disorders in young children examines research issues, approaches to assessment, and developmental, behavioral, and medical intervention models.

ìThis book helps move healthcare forward by recognizing the range of issues across the lifespan that people with ASD may face. . . [and] brings together a wealth of expertise with information and strategies across the lifespan.î From the Foreword by Catherine Rice, PhD National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Center for Disease Control and Prevention Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a growing health problem and nearly all nurses are likely to care for individuals with ASD. Designed as a textbook and a reference, this volume prepares nurses to recognize the unique challenges of providing evidence-based health care that meets the special needs of ASD patients across the lifespan and in multiple practice settings. Chapters include setting-specific case studies followed by consistently formatted information about key clinical issues, clinical assessment, and best practice nursing plans of care. The book is organized on a social model of disability with a focus on the environmental, cultural, and economic barriers encountered by people with ASD. It highlights the significant role played by nurses in the treatment of ASD patients and helps nurses integrate the specialized information about ASD into their clinical practice. Each section of the book reflects a different life stage and is organized to include learning objectives and developmental needs at the beginning of a section, with key points, a guide to clinical problem solving, and thought-provoking review questions at the end. Key Features: Provides evidence-based information for nurses about the special treatment needs of individuals with ASD Explains how functional deficits of people with ASD complicate health care delivery and how nurses can use this knowledge to provide quality care Addresses clinical issues across the lifespan and in multiple settings through case studies that illustrate best practice nursing care for a variety of problems Ideal for continuing education programs, post-masterís certificate programs, and school nurse certification programs

Written for the wide range of physicians and professionals who treat children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), this book reviews the scientific research on the nature and causes of autism, outlines best treatment practices with children and describes a comprehensive assessment and treatment approach for adults. Topics covered include: • Classification, epidemiology and diagnosis • Neurodevelopmental abnormalities • Recommendations for early screening and evaluating at-risk children • Early interventions based on applied behavioral analysis • The critical role of special education, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and assistive technology in treating children • Pharmacotherapy • Complementary and alternative treatments • Development of individualized and person-centered treatments for adults The Autism Spectrum is an invaluable resource for all those working with ASDs including pediatricians, psychiatrists, behavioral psychologists, special educators, nurses and therapists.