Healthcare for Children on the Autism Spectrum : A Guide to Medical, Nutritional, and Behavioral Issues

Although children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be as healthy as other children, keeping them that way can be a challenge. Routine doctor visits, for instance, can be especially trying for children with ASDs due to sensory sensitivities or communication difficulties. Issues such as sleep problems, unusual eating habits, and impulsive or aggressive behaviors can also threaten their health. Volkmar of the Yale University Child Study Center, and Wiesner, a pediatrician, experts in the field of autism, offer parents accessible and authoritative information for dealing with these challenges and understanding what’s most important to their child’s medical, nutritional, and behavioral well-being.

HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM covers the following topics:

Handling doctor visits and hospitalizations
Growth and nutrition
Safety issues at home, school, and in the community
Sleep
Seizures
Dental care
Sensory issues
Medications and behavior
Adolescent issues
Behavioral deterioration
Complementary and alternative treatments

These pertinent subjects apply to most kids no matter where they fall on the autism spectrum. Issues are covered from birth through adolescence.

Parents can find answers to help them understand symptoms and behaviors, evaluate medications or alternative therapies, communicate with healthcare professionals, and deal with many other healthcare concerns. Based on the authors’ years of clinical experience with hundreds of children with autism, this guide is an essential reference that should be on the shelf of every family with a child with an ASD.

Fred R. Volkmar, M.D., is Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center. He is the primary author of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSMIV section on autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Volkmar is the director of autism research at Yale, and the coauthor of a number of books, including Asperger Syndrome, and The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Lisa A. Wiesner, M.D., is a pediatrician in private practice in Orange, Connecticut. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric training at Yale New Haven Hospital and a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Yale.