James Perrin, M.D., F.A.A.P., president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), called autism and other developmental disorders one of the major epidemics facing U.S. children. Dr. Perrin, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, directs the Clinical Coordinating Center of Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN). He also leads the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P), a federally funded program built on the ATN.
“Childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions: The continuing growth in childhood asthma and the tremendous growth in mental health conditions and developmental conditions like autism. We’ve got three or four major epidemics really growing among children and adolescents in America,” Dr. Perrin told the Boston Globe in a special interview.
"We want to make sure we’re much better able to provide the kind of care that these children and their families need," Dr. Perrin added. For starters, pediatricians need to be able to spend more time screening for autism and other developmental disorders during routine office visits, he said.
The AAP made Dr. Perrin’s comments about autism the top story in its weekly SmartBrief for pediatricians.
To read the full story in the Boston Globe, click here.