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Spectrum of hope: Early diagnosis aids autism treatment

New treatments and therapies offer optimism to physicians and families coping with the autistic spectrum of disorders.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, amednews staff. April 7, 2003.

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When Richard Solomon, MD, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician, started practicing medicine 20 years ago, the idea of building a whole practice around treating children with autistic spectrum disorders was not a practical one. There weren't enough of these children around, and there wasn't much he could do for them anyway.

"Back then, it really wasn't that well-known as a condition," Dr. Solomon said.

But times have changed. Several studies suggest that the disorder's prevalence is on the rise. And a long list of treatments and interventions show promise. This possibility underscores the importance of primary care physicians -- the first in the continuum of care, the doctor that can put these patients on a path that offers hope.

Treating these children is all Dr. Solomon does as the director of the Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters (PLAY) Project at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. And there is no shortage of those who require his services. Several other autism centers also have recently opened doors across the country to address these children's pressing needs.

The Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorder (MIND) Institute at the University of California, Davis, completes construction on its first building in April. It will be the country's largest autism-related treatment and research center under one roof.

Meanwhile, in January, the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center opened at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and already has an appointment waiting list as long as a year. "We're trying to meet the need and capitalize on the increased prevalence so we can do research and hopefully begin to sort these things out a bit," said Christopher J. McDougle, MD, director of the Indianapolis center and chair of the Dept. of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.