Autism and Communication Center - Brookline, MABrookline Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician Doctors for Autism and CommunicationType of Physician: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician What is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Pediatrics; practitioners have a special interest in the developmental, learning, and behavioral problems of children, and in the support of parents and children during normal development and illness. Specialty: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Common Name: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician Doctors in Brookline * Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  Children's Hospital Boston Adolescent Substance Abuse  Children's Hospital Boston Developmental Medicine Center  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  NEMC Center for Children with Special Needs  Pediatric Associates of Medford PC  Patriot Pediatrics  Child and Adolescent Health Specialists PC Brookline, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
2012-05-28
2012-06-10
2012-06-10
2012-06-16
2012-07-03
2012-07-28
2012-08-19
2012-09-22
2012-09-30
AutismWhat is autism?Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by impaired development in communication, social interaction, and behavior. Autism afflicts one out of every 100 to 166 children and it affects the lives of many children and their families (DiCicco-Bloom et al, 2006). It tends to affect about five boys to every one girl (First, 2008). Autism is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), a category of disorders that is often described interchangeably with the broad spectrum of developmental disorders affecting young children and adults called the autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The range of these disorders varies from severely impaired individuals with autism to other individuals who have abnormalities of social interaction but normal intelligence--Asperger's syndrome. The ways in which autism is exhibited can differ greatly. Additionally, autism can be found in association with other disorders such as mental retardation and certain medical conditions. The degree of autism can range from mild to severe. Mildly affected individuals may appear very close to normal. Severely afflicted individuals may have an extreme intellectual disability and unable to function in almost any setting. In the past, autism has been confused with childhood schizophrenia or childhood psychosis, and may have been misunderstood as schizotypal personality disorder in some adults. As additional research information about autism becomes available, the scope and definition of the condition continues to become more refined. Some of the past confusion about the disorder has been resolved.
What are the symptoms of autism?The current Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Treatment Revision (DSM-IV-TR) identifies three features that are associated with autism:
Recommended Reading Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (In Children and Adults)Autism Screening and Diagnosis » Autism screening and diagnosis overviewDiagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be difficult, since there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorders. Doctors look at the child's behavior and development to make a diagnosis. ASDs can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay means that children with an ASD might not get the help they need. Diagnosing an ASD takes two steps: Developmental screeningDevelopmental screening is a short test to tell if children are learning basic skills when they should, or if they might have delays. During developmental screening the doctor might ask the parent some questions or talk and play with the child during an exam to see how she learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. A delay in any... Other Related Autism and Communication ArticlesEmergency Contact for Brookline
Nearby Brookline Hospitals *Brigham & Women's Hospital Dana Farber Cancer Institute Children's Hospital Boston Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Arbour HRI Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Franciscan Hospital for Children Arbour Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Boston Medical Center M I T Medical Faulkner Hospital Cambridge Hospital Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center  Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged  Massachusetts Mental Health Center  Bournewood Hospital  Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary  Tufts New England Medical Center  Massachusetts General Hospital  Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital  Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital  Somerville Hospital  Caritas Carney Hospital  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus  McLean Hospital  Lawrence Memorial Hospital  Milton Hospital  Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital  Newton Wellesley Hospital  Whidden Memorial Hospital  Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham  Quincy Medical Center  HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital  Winchester Hospital  Melrose Wakefield Hospital  Westwood Lodge Hospital  Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital  Caritas Norwood Hospital  Massachusetts Hospital School  Lahey Clinic Medical Center  Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick  MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital  Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree  New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center  North Shore Medical Center  Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital  South Shore Hospital  Emerson Hospital  MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital  Salem Hospital & the Birthplace  Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore  North Shore Children's Hospital  Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton  Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital  Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center  Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital  Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton  Tewksbury Hospital  Beverly Hospital  Isham Health Center  UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital  Saints Medical Center  Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough  HC Solomon Mental Health Center  Lowell General Hospital  Pembroke Hospital  Westborough State Hospital  Milford Regional Medical Center  Lawrence General Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Autism Spectrum Disorder (In Children and Adults) by Our Doctors
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
13 articles-
Seizure (Epilepsy)
- Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epilepsy. Treatment of epilepsy (seizures) depends upon the cause and type of seizures experienced.
-
Learning Disabilities
- Learning disabilities can cause an individual to have trouble learning and using skills such as reading, listening, writing, reading, speaking, reasoning, and performing mathematics. There is no cure for learning disabilities. Parents and teachers working together to properly diagnose learning disabilities can properly plan a course of education. For some, medication may be appropriate as complimentary treatment.
-
Fragile X Syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of mental retardation. It's caused by a mutation on the X chromosome. People with Fragile X syndrome suffer from physical, social, emotional, speech, language, sensory, intelligence, and learning impairments. There is no definitive treatment for Fragile X, though there are ways to minimize the symptoms.
-
Mitochondrial Disease
- Learn about mitochondrial disease, genetic disease in which include a group of neuromuscular diseases that are caused by damage to the mitochondria Common mitochondrial myopathies include Kearns–Sayre syndrome, myoclonus epilepsy, and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. Symptoms of mitochondrial disease include heart failure, exercise intolerance, dementia, muscle weakness, movement disorders, deafness, blindness, stroke-like episodes, and more. There is no specific treatment for mitochondrial disease.
-
Pervasive Development Disorders
- Pervasive development disorders (PPDs) are conditions involving developmental delays in children. There are five types of PDDs: autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett's syndrome, and pervasive development disorders not otherwise specified (PDDNOS).
-
Seizures Symptoms and Types
- Seizures are divided into two categories: generalized and partial. Generalized seizures are produced by electrical impulses from throughout the brain, while partial seizures are produced by electrical impulses in a small part of the brain. Seizure symptoms include unconsciousness, convulsions, and muscle rigidity.
-
Asperger's Syndrome (Asperger Syndrome, Asperger Disorder)
- Asperger's syndrome (AS, Asperger syndrome, Asperger disorder) is an autism spectrum disorder. Asperger's syndrome is characterized by a degree of impairment in language and communication skills, and repetitive or restrictive thoughts or behaviors. The most common symptom of Asperger's syndrome is the obsessive interest in a single object or topic. Other conditions that may co-exist with Asperger's syndrome include: ADHD, tic disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and OCD. Diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome is complicated, and treatment is generally directed toward minimizing the symptoms of the syndrome and behavioral and educational interventions.
-
Parenting
- Good parenting helps foster empathy, honesty, self-reliance, self-control, kindness, cooperation, and cheerfulness, says Steinberg, a distinguished professor of psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. It also promotes intellectual curiosity, motivation, and desire to achieve. It helps protect children from developing anxiety, depression, eating disorders, antisocial behavior, and alcohol and drug abuse.
-
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome
- Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS, infantile acquired aphasia, acquired epileptic aphasia, or aphasia with convulsive disorder), a childhood disorder that occurs between the ages of 3 and 7, is characterized by the sudden loss of speech, epileptic seizures, depression, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness.
-
Children's Health
- Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
-
Auditory Processing Disorder in Children
- Children with auditory processing disorders often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even though the sounds themselves are loud and clear. Symptoms of auditory processing disorder include low academic performance, behavior problems, language difficulty, difficulty reading, and trouble paying attention. Treatment may involve auditory trainers, environmental modifications, auditory memory enhancement, and auditory integration training.
-
Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia)
- Face blindness (prosopagnosia) is a condition that causes the inability to recognize faces. Face blindness may be caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, or certain neurodegenerative diseases. Treatment involves helping the patient develop compensatory strategies.
-
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) FAQs
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders that do not appear to be linked to vaccines. More people than ever are being diagnosed with an ASD, including adults. Children with autism may receive special education services. A child with an ASD may or may not have a mitochondrial disease.
-
Seizure (Epilepsy)
-
Medications
1 articles -
Procedures & Tests
3 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
5 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
5 articles -
Health News
105 articles -
Health Features
2 articles
