Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment

In: Autism Spectrum Disorders [Internet]. Brisbane (AU): Exon Publications; 2021 Aug 20. Chapter 2.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Review

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment

Ronan Lordan et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have changed greatly over the years. Currently, diagnosis is conducted mainly by observational screening tools that measure a child’s social and cognitive abilities. The two main tools used in the diagnosis of ASD are DSM-5 and M-CHAT, which examine persistent deficits in interaction and social communication, and analyze responses to “yes/no” items that cover different developmental domains to formulate a diagnosis. Treatment depends on severity and comorbidities, which can include behavioral training, pharmacological use, and dietary supplement. Behavior-oriented treatments include a series of programs that aim to re-condition target behaviors, and develop vocational, social, cognitive, and living skills. However, to date, no single or combination treatments have been able to reverse ASD completely. This chapter provides an overview of the current diagnostic and treatment strategies of ASD.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lord C, Charman T, Cusack J, Guillaume D, Frazier T, JH JE, Jones RM, Pickles A, Lounds TJ, Jeremy VV. Autism spectrum disorder (Primer) Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2020;6(1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0138-4 . - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lord C, Elsabbagh M, Baird G, Veenstra-Vanderweele J. Autism spectrum disorder. Lancet. 2018;392(10146):508–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31129-2 . - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bauman ML, Kemper TL. Neuroanatomic observations of the brain in autism: a review and future directions. Int J Dev Neurosci. 2005;23(2–3):183–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2004.09.006 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Evans B. How autism became autism: The radical transformation of a central concept of child development in Britain. Hist Human Sci. 2013;26(3):3–1. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952695113484320 . - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Harris JC. Developmental Neuropsychiatry: Volume II: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Developmental Disorders.

LinkOut - more resources