Since autism diagnosis is directly linked to the availability of supportive services, identifying best practices for early diagnosis of autism has long been a concern of professionals and families. Meanwhile, studies show persistent racial disparities in autism diagnosis. Although numerous clinical diagnostic guidelines have been published, there…

The current study examined depressive symptoms, concerning the week following autism spectrum diagnosis and an average of 1.4 years later, in mothers (n = 75) of young children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over three-quarters of mothers (78.7%) provided retrospective reports of clinically significant depressive symptoms…

Background: Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders in childhood and is predictive of adult anxiety disorders, especially panic disorder. However, the disorder has seldom been studied and the attempt to distinguish SAD from other anxiety disorders with regard to psychophysiology has not been made. We expected…

Background: This study examined the temporal comorbidity of depressive disorders with anxiety, externalizing, and substance use disorders in adolescents who varied in risk for depression. Methods: Participants were 240 adolescents and their mothers who had either a history of depression (high-risk, n = 185) or were lifetime-free of psychiatric…

Objective: To investigate a potential relationship between coincidental increases in perinatal Pitocin usage and subsequent childhood ADHD onset in an attempt to isolate a specific risk factor as an early biomarker of this neurodevelopmental disorder. Method: Maternal labor/delivery and corresponding childbirth records of 172 regionally diverse,…

Epidemiological studies of children and adolescents with intellectual disability have found 30 to 50% exhibiting clinically significant behavior problems. Few studies, however, have assessed young children, included a cognitively typical comparison group, assessed for specific disorders, and/or studied family correlates of diagnosis. We assessed…

Parenting stress may be inevitable for any parent. However, stress can be even greater for parents with children who have disabilities. Among parents of children with disabilities, parents of children with autism are particularly at risk of feeling overwhelmed due to the specific developmental condition and characteristics of children who have…

As the world becomes increasingly ethnically diverse, the need for empirically sound multicultural research has come to the forefront. Based on a review of the literature, while research on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is abundant and some research on cultural issues regarding ADHD has been produced, there is relatively little…

To date there has been no comparison of father and mother report on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a standardised measure of child behaviour used widely in the UK in clinical practice and research. The objectives of the study were to investigate differences and agreement between parents on the various SDQ domains of child…

In 1970, before the introduction of prenatal diagnosis of chromosome anomalies, an unpublished questionnaire study concerning the social and emotional situation of mothers of children with Down syndrome was conducted in southern Germany. To assess the psychosocial impact of the availability of prenatal diagnosis on parents of genetically…

This register study compared the rates and types of autoimmune disease in the parents of 111 patients (82 males, 29 females; mean age at diagnosis 5y 5mo [SD 2y 6mo]) with infantile autism (IA) with a matched control group of parents of 330 children from the general population. All parents were screened through the nationwide Danish National…

A parent-report instrument, the First Year Inventory (FYI), was developed to assess behaviors in 12-month-old infants that suggest risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism. The target behaviors were identified from retrospective and prospective studies. FYIs were mailed to 5,941 families and 25% (N = 1,496) were returned, with higher return rates…

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder defined by impaired social skills, impaired language development and stereotyped or repetitive behaviors. The increasing prevalence of autism worldwide has made this an important condition among professionals working with young children, including those in Jamaica. Early identification and intervention…

Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) begin to manifest during the first 2 years; there is limited evidence regarding type and timing of symptom onset. We examined factors related to parental age of recognition (AOR) of early abnormalities and the association between AOR and diagnosis and levels of functioning at 2 and 4 years in 75 toddlers…

A teacher's personal account of her discovery of her six-year-old daughter's hearing loss. Emphasizes the need for early screening for young children. (CM)