Autism spectrum disorders: information for pediatricians supporting families of young children on the spectrum.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting in US 1 in 110 individuals.(1) As increasingly younger children are receiving ASD diagnoses, many pediatricians are now faced with the unique needs of parents and other caregivers of newly diagnosed toddlers and young children. This chapter provides an overview of ASD designed to offer information and resources to pediatricians that could, in turn, be provided to families of children newly diagnosed with ASD.

Behavioural intervention practices for stereotypic and repetitive behaviour in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review.

AIM: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the quality of conduct of experimental studies contributing to our empirical understanding of function-based behavioural interventions for stereotypic and repetitive behaviours (SRBs) in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). METHOD: Systematic review methodology was used to identify relevant articles, to rate the level of evidence and quality of conduct of the studies, and to extract data systematically. RESULTS: Ten single case studies examining 17 participants (14 males, 3 females; age 2y 11mo-26y) diagnosed with various ASDs were included. Overall, studies reported decreases in SRBs using behavioural interventions and some collateral increase in desirable behaviours. INTERPRETATION: Only a small number of intervention studies for SRBs explicitly state the function of the behaviour; therefore, relatively little is known about the efficacy of SRB interventions in relation to the range of possible behavioural functions. Evidence supporting SRB interventions is preliminary in nature, and caution should be used in choosing and implementing SRB intervention practices for individuals with ASDs.