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New Assessments and Treatments in ASD

  • Pediatric Neurology (R-M Boustany, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

The assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is complex and remains clinical, despite advances in basic research. In this chapter, we review new and updated clinical tools, such as screening and diagnostic tests, and discuss the DSM-5 criteria introduced in 2013. We provide an algorithm to guide clinical evaluation and referrals. We also review non-behavioral treatments and summarize recent research. Current conventional treatment of ASD in children includes intensive behavioral interventions (known as applied behavioral analysis or ABA), rehabilitative services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social skills training, and counseling. We present new validated information and provide clinical guidance for the evaluation and treatment of young children and youth with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the capable editorial assistance of Kanwaljit Singh, MD, MPH, UMass Department of Pediatrics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Hospital, Worcester, MA, USA

    Roula N. Choueiri MD

  2. Division of Child Neurology, University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Hospital, Worcester, MA, USA

    Andrew W. Zimmerman MD

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  1. Roula N. Choueiri MD
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  2. Andrew W. Zimmerman MD
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Correspondence to Roula N. Choueiri MD.

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Conflict of Interest

Roula N. Choueiri reports that she is the principal author on a paper referenced in the review (A New Interactive Autism Screening test in Toddlers). It is a test she is currently developing; however, she receives no royalties and there are no financial benefits from it. It is copyrighted to Tufts Medical Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School both hold intellectual property. Andrew W. Zimmerman reports that he has a patent on the use of sulforaphane for treatment of autism spectrum disorder issued to Johns Hopkins University and is a co-author on reference #96 (Singh K et al., PNAS 2014), a clinical trial of sulforaphane in treatment of ASD.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pediatric Neurology

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Choueiri, R.N., Zimmerman, A.W. New Assessments and Treatments in ASD. Curr Treat Options Neurol 19, 6 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11940-017-0443-8

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