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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

There's no way to prevent autism. Autism can be treated, and children can have improved language and social skills with treatments. If your child is diagnosed with autism, talk to your child's doctors about creating a treatment strategy for your child. Keep in mind that you may need to try several different treatments before finding the best combination of therapies for your child.

References
  1. Kogan MD, et al. Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the U.S. 2007. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1395.
  2. Augustyn M. Clinical features of autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
  3. Autism and genes. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/autism_genes_2005.pdf. Accessed April 8, 2010.
  4. Bilder D, et al. Prenatal, perinatal and neonatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2009;123:1293.
  5. Baker JP. Mercury, vaccines, and autism: One controversy, three histories. American Journal of Public Health. 2008;98:244.
  6. Grether JK, et al. Risk of autism and increasing maternal and paternal age in a large North American population. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;170:1118.
  7. Bridgemohan C. Screening tools for autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
  8. Millward C, et al. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009:CD003498. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003498.html. Accessed March 24, 2010. .
  9. Augustyn M. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
  10. Johnson CP, et al. Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2007;120:1183.
  11. Myers SM, et al. Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2007;120:1162.
  12. Greenspan SI, et al. Guidelines for early identification, screening, and clinical management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2008;121:828.
  13. Spreckley M, et al. Efficacy of applied behavioral intervention in preschool children with autism for improving cognitive, language, and adaptive behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatrics. 2009;154:338.
  14. Buie T, et al. Evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in individuals with ASDs: A consensus report. 2010;125(suppl):1.
  15. Canitano R. Epilepsy in autism spectrum disorders. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007;16:61.
  16. Golnik AE, et al. Complementary alternative medicine for children with autism: A physician survey. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2009;39:996.
  17. Wong VCN. Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2009;39:454.
  18. If you're concerned — Act early. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/concerned.html. Accessed April 8, 2010.
  19. Rice C. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders — Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, United States, 2006. Mortality and Morbidity Weekly. 2009;58:1.
  20. Sinha Y, et al. Chelation therapy and autism. British Medical Journal. 2006;333:756.
  21. Autistic disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed May 11, 2010.
DS00348 May 27, 2010

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