ATN & CAN Highlight in July 2005 Issue of Spectrum Magazine |
CHILDREN
WITH AUTISM often receive inadequate care for medical
issues�even from the best physicians�largely because there are no
uniform standards or reliable criteria for diagnostic and treatment
procedures. The result is an unacceptable and potentially dangerous
gap in the medical care of autistic patients. To bridge this gap,
distinguished physicians and researchers from leading medical centers
have joined with other autism experts and parents to form the Autism
Treatment Network (ATN).
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1. To provide
optimal diagnosis and comprehensive care for individuals with autism
through evidence based practices with specific attention to associated
medical conditions.
2. To disseminate
this information to health care providers, educators and parents.
3. To promote
research aimed at improving treatment for autism.
- Autism
is one of the most common developmental disability in the U.S.,
affecting more children than childhood leukemia, diabetes and
cancer combined.
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An estimated 600,000 people in the US are affected by autism,
and its incidence is on the rise.
- Approximately
1 in 166 children born in the US will be identified with a form
of autism by the time there are three years old.
- There
is no cure; treatment methods vary in approach and effectiveness.
- For
parents and family members, the immediate and long-term effects
of autism are devastating.
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