Latest Research

Volume XI, Issue 40
Week Ending: December 13, 2008

New legislation in Georgia provides for state-funded scholarships for students with special needs. Read a Q and A about the provisions of the Act.

According to information released by California's Department of Developmental Services (DDS), during the 91 day period that was the first quarter of 2007 (Q 1), 886 new children with a professional diagnosis of full syndrome DSM IV autism, NOT including PDD, NOS, Asperger's Syndrome or any other autism spectrum disorder were added to California's developmental services system.

There were a total of 1570 total new intakes during Q 1 2007 which included children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy, and a myriad of rare genetic conditions such as Fragile X, Down's Syndrome, etc. Of the 1570 total new intakes, 886 or 56% were full syndrome autism cases. The 886 new intakes during that 91 day period represents the second highest number of new intakes for a quarter reporting period in the 38 year history of California's developmental services system. On average, California is currently adding 10 new children a day, seven days a week with full syndrome autism to it's system.

In 1971,California included autism as a qualifying condition to it's developmental services system. During the 16 year period from 1971 through 1987, California had a total caseload of roughly 2700 persons with autism. During the past nine months alone, from July 2006 to April 2007, California added roughly 2700 new cases. What use to take 16 years in caseload growth now takes 9 months! 

Twenty years ago in 1987 there were 2700 persons with autism in the system, today 20 years later, there are nearly 34,000....92% born after 1980,  84% under the age of 21, and 78% under the age of 18.

We are still waiting for the missing 14,000+ adults with autism that should be in our system if there has not been a real increase in autism to show up now that we know what autism looks like (HaHa). Still no sign of them. The fact is, they do not exist. In California's system today, less then 2 out of 10 persons with autism are 22 years of age or older, the remaining 8 1/2 out of 10 are between the ages of 3 and 21.

Volume 2 Issue 1
January 2003

A newsletter on ADD / ADHD.

AtHealth.com

A January, 2003 newsletter from AtHealth.com highlights Child Abuse, including articles on identification and prevention of the problem.

An October, 2002 newsletter from AtHealth.com highlights Alzheimer's Disease, including articles on assessment, treatment, therapies, and exercise for the Alzheimer's patient.

Sleep Problems in Children and Teens

American Family Physician
Sleep Disorders and Sleep Problems in Childhood
The article addresses sleep problems in which polysomnography is abnormal and problems that are behavioral in origin.

Postgraduate Medicine
Sleep Disorders in Children and Teens
This article discusses common sleep disorders in various pediatric age-groups. Includes a sleep-history questionnaire.

Pediatrics
Sleep and Behavior Problems in School-Aged Children Parental reports of their children's sleep problems may be a red flag for specific sleep problems and psychiatric, social, or medical problems.

Pediatrics
Television-viewing Habits and Sleep Disturbance in School Children.
The presence of a television set in the child's bedroom may be a relatively under recognized, but important, contributor to sleep problems in school children.

Journal Of Counseling And Development
Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Sleep Disturbance
The article includes guidelines for reviewing the developmental and medical history, screening for parental psychopathology, and obtaining a child behavior rating scale and sleep diary. (Scroll down to page 111 of the PDF document. May be slow to load.)

Athealth.com
Nightmare Remedies: Helping Your Child Tame the Demons of the Night
Alan Siegel, PhD, tells parents how they can help their children cope with nightmares.

Monitor on Psychology
Sleep Deprivation May Be Undermining Teen Health
Research suggests that lack of sufficient sleep--a rampant problem among teens--appears to put adolescents at risk for cognitive and emotional difficulties, poor school performance, accidents and psychopathology.

National Sleep Foundation
Adolescent Sleep Needs and Patterns
Adolescents and young adults have been identified as a population at high risk for problem sleepiness. This publication summarizes existing research about sleep-related issues affecting young people. (PDF)

References for Autism Research & Clinical Practice

Copyright © 1999 - 2007 Psychological Sciences Institute. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 15, 2008