Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Introduction
- What is autism?
- How do you get autism?
- What are the symptoms?
- How is it diagnosed?
- What is the expected outcome?
- Will anyone else in the family get autism?
- What is the treatment?
- How will my family's life be changed?
- Are vaccines to blame for autism?
- Our pediatrician has recommended a formal autism evaluation. Would there be any harm in waiting to see if my child outgrows language and social delays?
- Will my child receive Special Education services if they are on the autism spectrum?
- My child is receiving Special Education services with an Asperger or PDD-NOS diagnosis, will these services continue or do we need to get re-evaluated?
- Resources
Introduction
What is autism?
How do you get autism?
What are the symptoms?
-
Deficits with social skills. Examples
include:
- limited back-and-forth communication
- decreased ability to build connections with others
- reduced non-verbal communication like eye contact
- While people usually think of children with ASD as preferring to play alone, sometimes a child with ASD may seem overly friendly in that they might invade your personal space and not stop talking to you about their topic of interest.
-
Restricted, repetitive interests, activities, or
behaviors. Examples include:
- atypical toy use, like lining up cars
- repeating words they hear
- fascination with lights
- having a profound interest in one topic like trains or dinosaurs
- getting upset when routines are not followed
- stimming behaviors, which are repeated movements,
sounds, or words. Some common examples of stimming are:
- hand-flapping
- rocking
- head banging
- tearing paper
- spinning objects
- Stimming behaviors are thought to be a protective response to overstimulation and may reduce anxiety.
- These behaviors and interests may change over time and are not the same in everyone.
How is it diagnosed?
What is the expected outcome?
Will anyone else in the family get autism?
What is the treatment?
How will my family's life be changed?
Are vaccines to blame for autism?
Our pediatrician has recommended a formal autism evaluation. Would there be any harm in waiting to see if my child outgrows language and social delays?
Will my child receive Special Education services if they are on the autism spectrum?
My child is receiving Special Education services with an Asperger or PDD-NOS diagnosis, will these services continue or do we need to get re-evaluated?
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT)
A nonprofit organization that provides information, lists of conferences, suggested readings, and articles about evidence-based
autism treatments for clinicians and parents.
Autism Resource Center (AACAP)
Autism resources from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Choose a topic, frequently asked questions, and
a locator for child and adolescent psychiatrists.
SPARK for Autism study
A multi-site national study on the causes of autism. Open to individuals with autism and their family members. Information
is gathered online and participants mail in a saliva sample for genetic testing, the results of which are provided to the
participant. Funded and led by the Simons Foundation.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (CDC)
Focused information about early warning signs, safety of vaccines, and autism; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Autism (healthychildren.org)
Answers to questions such as: How is autism diagnosed? If autism is suspected, what next? What are early signs? How do I keep
a child with autism from wandering?
Autism Society of America
Includes information about symptoms, inheritance, diagnosis, finding a specialist, related diseases, and support organizations;
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
Autism Watch
Part of QuackWatch, an online "Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions." Provides reliable information
and links about proposed causes of autism and treatments, and lists of reliable and not reliable web sites for more information.
Sesame Street and Autism
An initiative to help people better understand autism and offer families ways to overcome common challenges and simplify everyday
activities using helpful videos, stories, and printable daily routine cards for social experiences.
Autism Research Institute
Information about autism, autism research, free webinars for parents and professionals, and other resources.
Patient Education
Autism Fact Sheet, Spanish (NINDS)
From the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke.
Autism Spectrum Disorder FAQ (NINDS)
Answers to common questions about ASD and a long list of other places to go for more information; National Institute of Neurologic
Disorders and Stroke.
Autism Spectrum Disorder, A Parent's Guide (NIMH)
The link takes you to the National Institute of Mental Health website, from which the 27 page autism booklet may be downloaded
at no cost.
Translated Autism Resources (VFN)
Autism Fact Sheet and Learn the Signs: Act Early Autism Fact Sheet, each translated into Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, English,
French,Nepali, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese; Vermont Family Network.
Services for Patients & Families in Montana (MT)
Service Categories | # of providers* in: | MT | NW | Other states (5) (show) | | ID | NM | NV | RI | UT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alternative Education/Schools | 45 | 15 | 54 | 7 | 8 | 12 | ||||
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) | 28 | 7 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 44 | ||||
Audiology | 50 | 2 | 27 | 263 | 7 | 25 | 54 | |||
Autism Programs | 3 | 6 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 55 | ||||
Developmental - Behavioral Pediatrics | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 8 | |||
Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities/Delays | 28 | 2 | 148 | 156 | 30 | 13 | 56 | |||
General Counseling Services | 146 | 1 | 201 | 96 | 174 | 33 | 413 | |||
Nutrition Assessment Services | 1 | 1 | 83 | 14 | 3 | 8 | ||||
Occupational Therapy | 40 | 27 | 297 | 21 | 10 | 40 | ||||
Pediatric Dentistry | 52 | 2 | 60 | 70 | 32 | 30 | 63 | |||
Pediatric Gastroenterology | 16 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 4 | |||
Pediatric Genetics | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | |||
Pediatric Neurology | 16 | 1 | 31 | 6 | 15 | 6 | ||||
Pediatric Sleep Medicine | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||
Psychiatry/Medication Management | 18 | 20 | 14 | 41 | 79 | 65 | ||||
Social Skills Training | 4 | 2 | 24 | 8 | 12 | 40 | ||||
Speech - Language Pathologists | 52 | 3 | 67 | 376 | 22 | 23 | 74 |
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.
Studies
SPARK for Autism study
A multi-site national study on the causes of autism. Open to individuals with autism and their family members. Information
is gathered online and participants mail in a saliva sample for genetic testing, the results of which are provided to the
participant. Funded and led by the Simons Foundation.
Studies Related to Autism (clinicaltrials.gov)
Studies looking at better understanding, diagnosing, and treating this condition; from the National Library of Medicine.