Main Category: Autism
Also Included In: Mental Health
Article Date: 27 Aug 2012 - 11:00 PDT
Current ratings for:
Autism Treatment Options For Adolescents Are Not Supported By Evidence
| Patient / Public: |  |
|
| Healthcare Prof: |  |
According to a recent report, Vanderbilt University researchers say that current therapies used to treat adolescents with autism are not supported by evidence proving they are effective methods.
Melissa McPheeters, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of Vanderbilt's Evidence-Based Practice Center and senior author of the report published by the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) commented: "Overall, there is very little evidence in all areas of care for adolescents and young adults with autism, and it is urgent that more rigorous studies be developed and conducted."
Zachary Warren, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders added:
"There are growing numbers of adolescents and adults with autism in need of substantial support. Without a stronger evidence base, it is very hard to know which interventions will yield the most meaningful outcomes for individuals with autism and their families."
The researchers analyzed over 4,500 studies and re-evaluated 32 on methods of treatment for autism patients aged 13 to 30 - they were all published between January 1980 and December 2011.
Results of the study showed some evidence supporting the effectiveness of treatments in improving social skills and how the patients performed educationally in areas such as reading and vocabulary. However, these investigations were small and were not followed up.
Medical interventions were found to have a lack of supporting evidence in terms of effectiveness in treating young adults with a autism spectrum disorder. However, outcomes of treatment with antipsychotic medications for reducing aggressive and irritable behaviors were the most consistent. Side effects included weight gain and sedation.
Of the articles analyzed, only 5 of them tested vocational interventions, which all stated that this type of treatment may be beneficial for some patients, but all 5 studies showed flaws that made the researchers doubt the effectiveness of vocational interventions.
Pediatrics journal will publish the outcomes of the study on vocational interventions in their August 27 issue.
In the 1970s it was believed that autism only affected 1 in every 2000 kids, but now, in 2012, it is estimated to affect 1 in every 88 kids. The boy to girl ratio of autism is 5:1, which lowers their number to 1 in every 54 boys in the U.S. living with autism.
Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Special Education and lead author commented: "With more and more youth with autism leaving high school and entering the adult world, there is urgent need for evidence-based interventions that can improve their quality of life and functioning."
Written by Christine Kearney
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Julie Lounds Taylor, Melissa L. McPheeters, Nila A. Sathe, Dwayne Dove, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, and Zachary Warren
Pediatrics, August 2012, doi:10.1542/peds.2012-0682
MLA
n.p. "Autism Treatment Options For Adolescents Are Not Supported By Evidence." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 27 Aug. 2012. Web.
28 Aug. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249504.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249504.php.
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
'Autism Treatment Options For Adolescents Are Not Supported By Evidence'
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment