Autism families and researchers are invited to participate in a free webinar – “The Early Diagnosis Roadmap: From Detection to Intervention” – on Thursday, August 20th, at 2 pm Eastern.
The presenter will be pediatric neuropsychiatrist Juhi Pandey, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, on behalf of the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS).
An Autism Speaks research grant helps support IBIS and the related Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) study. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is one of 14 centers in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network.
Register for the free webinar here.
Dr. Pandey will describe how early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is critical for maximizing the long-term health and well-being of affected children and their families through intensive early intervention.
Dr. Pandey will also discuss the screening tools that the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for use as part of all children’s well-child checkups at 18 months and 24 months. In particular, she will discuss the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT).
Editor’s note: An interactive, self-scoring version of the M-CHAT is available to use free of charge on the Autism Speaks website here.
The webinar will also describe the comprehensive assessment of young children identified as having autism or being at high risk of developing the condition. Identification is only the first step in this process, Dr. Pandey says. A comprehensive evaluation is vital to understand a young child’s strengths and weaknesses and to guide intervention services. She will also discuss the identification of developmental and medical conditions that frequently co-occur with autism.
Finally, Dr. Pandey will present research findings that further support the importance of early screening and intervention in very young children with autism. The discussion is particularly timely, coming on the heels of a controversial draft statement by the US Preventive Services Task Force questioning whether there is sufficient evidence behind the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for universal early screening for autism. (To learn more, please see “Pediatricians join autism advocates to urge universal early screening.”)
Read more about IBIS and Autism Speaks’ support of its groundbreaking research here.