ASA's 36th National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders (July 13-16, 2005)

SPEAKERS & OUTLINE:

1) Margaret Bauman, MD - Introduction to medical evaluation and "Red Flags" as we now know them. 2) Timothy Buie, MD - Gastrointestinal Disorders 3) Marvin Natowicz, Md, PhD - Metabolic Disorders 4) Richard Fade, Chairman - What is the ATN and how can this approach improve the quality of life for those with ASD.

Although considerable advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of some children, adolescents and adults with autism, there remain considerable gaps in our knowledge and understanding of this disorder. One of the of most under-appreciated and under-studied areas relates to the recognition that individuals on the autism spectrum can and often do experience a variety of medical conditions which, in many cases go undiagnosed. Failure to appreciate these disorders relate at least in part, to the fact that non-verbal ASD persons cannot describe discomfort or localize pain well. Further, they may not present with symptoms that are easily recognized by most physicians.

The Autism Treatment Network (ATN) is a group of leadership medical institutions that have come together to: evaluate the medical conditions present in autism; determine their frequency among this population; and, collaborate to provide best practices for their identification and treatment which can then be disseminated to the medical community as a whole.