>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THE CDC REPORTS THAT ONE IN 44 CHILDREN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH
AUTISM BY THE TIME THEY REACH
THE AGE OF 8 YEARS OLD AND
THOSE LIVING WITH AUTISM CAN
HAVE A BROAD RANGE OF
CHALLENGES. APRIL IS AUTISM
AWARENESS MONTH, WHICH IS WHY
WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING THE SIGNS
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY
DETECTION. JOINING ME VIA ZOOM
THIS MORNING IS DOCTOR ALLISON
KATO, A CLINICAL
NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST FROM HOPE
HAVEN. GOOD MORNING. THANKS
FOR BEING WITH US.
>>LAUREN VERNO: GOOD MORNING.
IT’S MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE SIGNS A
CHILD MIGHT HAVE THIS
DISORDER?
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN SEE
SIGNS AS EARLY 12 MONTHS AGE
AND WHAT WE MIGHT SEE IS LOW
EYE CONTACT. WE MIGHT SEE WHAT
WE CALL ABSENT RESPONSE TO
NAME. SO YOU CALL THE CHILD’S
NAME AND THEY DON’T AND KIND
OF A LACK OF SOCIAL BACK AND
FORTH. SO WHEN THE MOTHER OR
MAKES A SOUND, WE WANT TO SEE
THE CHILD RESPONDING OR
ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SOUND OR
SMILING.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IS AUTISM
MORE COMMON IN CERTAIN KIDS,
YOU KNOW, MALE FEMALE AND AT
CERTAIN AGES THAT IT’S
TYPICALLY DIAGNOSED. YOU
MENTIONED AS YOUNG AS AS ONE
I’VE HEARD, EVEN, YOU KNOW,
SOME KIDS IT TOO.
>> RIGHT. SO THOSE EARLY SIGNS
AS EARLY AS AND IN TERMS OF
DIAGNOSIS CLOSER TO 18 MONTHS
TO 24 MONTHS. AND IT IS MORE
COMMON IN BOYS ABOUT 4 TIMES
MORE COMMON. AND I GUESS I
SHOULD SAY THAT IT’S 4 TIMES A
MORE OFTEN IN BOYS THAT MAY
NOT BE QUITE DIFFERENCE.
THERE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: HAVE
SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS
GAIN ANY GROUND ON WHAT CAUSES
AUTISM.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO
ONE SINGLE AUTISM A SPECTRUM.
AND SO WE’RE COVERING
INDIVIDUALS FROM A VERY WIDE
RANGE OF FUNCTIONING LEVELS
COMMUNICATION OR LANGUAGE
LEVELS. AND SO THERE IS NO ONE
SINGLE AUTISM. I WILL SAY
THERE’S A STRONG GENETIC
COMPONENT, BUT NOT CHILDREN OR
ADULTS WITH AUTISM HAVE A
GENETIC ETIOLOGY CAN.
>> AND WHY IS EARLY DETECTION
IS SO IMPORTANT.
>> EARLY DETECTION IS KEY
BECAUSE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN A
VERY DYNAMIC PHASE IN THE
BIRTH TO 4 SORT OF A CHANGE IN
ESPECIALLY EVEN BIRTH TO 3.
YES, OUR SENSORY ABILITIES
SORT OF EMERGE FIRST. AND THEN
OUR LANGUAGE IS STILL ONGOING,
AS WE KNOW. AND SO IN TERMS OF
EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES
LIKE SPEECH, LANGUAGE
SERVICES, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
AND SOMETHING CALLED A BA ARE
APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THE
BIGGEST IMPACT THE EARLIER
WEEKEND. THE SURF IS SO WE
JUST SHOWED ON THE SCREEN AS
YOU WERE DESCRIBING THAT KIND
OF THIS BELL CURVE, SO TO
SPEAK IN AND IT CAN. CAN YOU
EXPLAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THAT?
>>LAUREN VERNO: IN TERMS OF
THE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND MY
ASSUMPTION HERE ISIS THAT
THE SOONER THE BETTER SO THAT
YOU CAN PERHAPS HELP THAT
CHILD BE MORE FUNCTIONING.
RIGHT. I WOULD HIGHLIGHT AT
ANY AGE. WE HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY YOU KNOW, IMPROVE
SOMETHING LIKE OUR
COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND
SOCIAL SKILLS. BUT THE BIGGEST
IMPACT IN TERMS OF WHAT BRAIN
PLASTICITY AND THE ABILITY FOR
THE BRAIN TO SORT OF
DYNAMICALLY CHANGE WITH
INTERVENTION IS THOSE YEARS
AND WHAT ARE SOME TREATMENT
OPTIONS? SURE. SERVICES LIKE
APPLIED BEHAVIOR, BE A SPEECH.
LANGUAGE THERAPY AND
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ARE KEY.
THOSE ARE SERVICES WE PROVIDE.
FOR EXAMPLE HERE, COKIE, WITH
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH GREAT
STRIDES, REHABILITATION THOSE
ARE COVERED BY INSURANCE WITH
A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM.
SO EARLY EVALUATION AND
IDENTIFICATION OF AUTISM IS IS
KEY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND I
IMAGINE THE FIRST STEP WHEN A
PARENT IS MAY BE CONCERNED IS
REACHING OUT TO THE
PEDIATRICIAN IN THAT DOCTOR
CAN BE IT CAN HELP IN THE
ASSESSMENT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THE CDC OFFERS
SOMETHING CALLED ACT EARLY AND
PROVIDES DEVELOPMENTAL
GUIDANCE THAT PARENTS CAN
REVIEW IF THEY HAVE FIRST LINE
OF ACTION IS TO REACH OUT TO
THE PEDIATRICIAN WHO CAN
PROVIDE A SCREENING AND THEN
REFERRED TO A SOMEONE LIKE
MYSELF UNDER A PSYCHOLOGIST,
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST OR
DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICIAN,
WHO IS AN AUTISM SPECIALIST.
AND THEN THEY WOULD THEN
CONDUCT A MORE THOROUGH TO
RULE IN OR RULE OUT. THE
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS, DOCTOR,
KATO HAS HAS BEEN SO
INTERESTING AND EYE-OPENING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING. WE APPRECIATE IT.
IT’S MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND AS WE
RECOGNIZE AUTISM AWARENESS
MONTH, YOU CAN SEE A LIST OF
ALL OF OUR AND ON OUR WEBSITE.
IT’S THERE RIGHT NOW. IN FACT,
IS GOING NEWS 4 JAX DOT COM,