![]() The evaluation team includes a speech and language pathologist, a child psychologist, and a child and adolescent psychiatrist. A pediatrician or specialist referral is welcome, but not necessary.Īt our Developmental Disabilities Clinic, autism evaluations involve two days of interviews, assessments, and examinations. She sees this as an encouraging sign that parents are more aware of possible signs of autism and pediatricians are more responsive to their concerns.Ĭhawarska advises parents to seek an evaluation from a specialty center such as Yale Medicine’s School-Age Developmental Disabilities Program at the Child Study Center or a state agency, such as Connecticut Birth to Three. Most children with autism are diagnosed between the ages of 3 and 5, but Chawarska says that she is now seeing many more children at earlier ages, often before age 2. “Some also notice that their child doesn’t seem to enjoy silly games like peek-a-boo, doesn’t laugh when the parents make funny faces, and doesn’t even seem to particularly enjoy being together.” “Parents may notice that the child doesn’t babble as much as other children, does not look at people, does not enjoy giving or showing things to others, or respond when their name is called,” says Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD, director of the Developmental Disabilities Infant & Toddler Program and the Yale Early Social Cognition Lab. About 44 % of people with autism have average to above average intellectual abilities.Įarly signs of autism may include language delays and a disinterest in engaging in social interactions. Sometimes it brings intellectual challenges, but for others autism leads to exceptional talents in a particular area, such as art, music, or math. “We want to get connected to families and children so they can benefit from help as early in life as possible,” he says.Īutism affects everyone differently. Early intervention programs help equalize their opportunities, shaping learning experiences to their unique needs while also helping them adapt to the world in which they live.Įarly diagnosis can make all the difference, says James McPartland, PhD, a Child Study Center psychologist, and director of the Developmental Disabilities Program and the McPartland Lab. Those differences affect how children with autism learn, not only academically, but also about their environment. They tend to be fond of repetition and sensitive to sensory information (such as touch, temperature, or noise), and often have strong fixations and unusually intense interests, such as in airplanes, bugs, or calendars. ![]() Children with autism aren’t as motivated by social cues, such as eye contact, facial expressions or words and gestures. Messer Professor of Child Psychiatry and Director of the Yale Child Study Center Program’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, and Eli Lebowitz, PhD, Associate Professor in the Child Study Center and Associate Director of the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program.For people with autism, social interaction is challenging their primary orientation may not be toward people. The Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program is led by Wendy Silverman, PhD, Alfred A. Study participants receive treatment at no cost and are compensated up to $350. Participants will complete the computer program twice a week for four weeks. Attention training is a promising treatment for anxiety disorders because the hope is to train the child’s brain to divert from threatening stimuli. The second trial, for children 10-14, is testing the effects of a brief computer-based training that targets attentional processes to reduce social anxiety in children. Study participants receive evaluation and treatment at no cost and are compensated up to $250. Families enrolled in this research are randomized to receive SPACE or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for 12 weekly sessions. One is for children 6-12 years old and includes two effective treatments for childhood anxiety – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), a parent-based treatment. ![]() The program is currently conducting two large clinical trials to treat childhood anxiety. ![]() The program treats a range of anxiety disorders and fears, such as excessive worrying, social anxiety, difficulties or refusal to speak to other children or adults outside the child’s immediate family, separation anxiety, anxiety relating to school (e.g., taking tests, speaking in class, attending school, etc.), and specific fears (e.g., heights, dogs, thunder, etc.). Services are provided at no cost to families who agree to participate in research but can otherwise be provided for a fee (with a sliding scale plan also available). The Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Yale Child Study Center offers comprehensive evaluations and treatments for children and adolescents ages 6 to 14 years. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |