61st Annual Meeting

October 18 - 25, 2014

Institute 3 (ticket)

Managing Psychiatrically Referred Youth With Autism: From Diagnosis to Treatment

This Institute provides psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other mental health professionals a practical and useful synthesis of the most recent research on the etiology, assessment, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Clinicians are frequently asked to evaluate social interaction and communication problems along with odd behaviors in children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Although they may be able to recognize diagnostic symptoms of autism, they are uncertain about how to screen out comorbid psychiatric or medical disorders. The rapid expansion of research in autism provides additional information that has important clinical implications. This Institute provides a review of DSM-5 criteria, reviews diagnostic procedures, explores educational, psychotherapeutic, and behavioral interventions, and presents advances in diagnosis, assessment, neuroimaging, and genetic research. Participants learn to develop a realistic plan to help patients with ASD achieve optimum functioning and adaptive life skills, and to advocate for quality interventions for high-risk preschoolers.