Acute Management Of Autism Spectrum Disorders An Issue Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Of North America

The “spectrum in this disorder is Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. This issue specifically addresses acute management of the extreme behaviors that accompany this disorder spectrum: extreme behaviors, complete lack of communication, inability to learn or express language, etc, and covers in-hospital or residential therapies as well as in-home family involvement. Medical treatment for this disorder is the main focus of discussion in topics such as: Emotional Regulation: Concepts and Practice in ASD; Specialized Inpatient Treatment of ASD; Residential Treatment of Severe Behavioral Disturbance in ASD; Treatment of ASD in General Child Psychiatry Units; Behavioral Approaches to Acute Problems; Communication Strategies for Behavioral Challenges in ASD, along with topics covering Psychiatric Assessment of Acute Presentations in ASD; Sensory Regulation and its Relationship to Acute Problems in ASD; Family Dysfunction, Assessment and Treatment in the context of Severe Behavioral Disturbance in ASD; and Self Injurious Behavior in ASD.

An overview of childhood traumatic exposures and their impact for health care providers - child and adolescent psychiatrists, general psychiatrists, other pediatric behavioral health providers and primary care clinicians - is presented. Most clinicians are unaware that children in the United States are exposed to trauma frequently, either as a single occurrence, or through repeated events. These exposures result in neurobiological, developmental and clinical sequelae that can undermine children's health and well-being. This issue describes the multiple types of traumatic exposures and their sequelae, methods of screening and assessment, and principles of effective prevention and clinical treatment. The volume highlights areas of particular relevance to children, such as natural disasters, war, domestic violence, school and community violence, sexual victimization, and complex trauma. Each is differentiated as a unique trauma, requiring trauma-informed systems of care to effectively meet the needs of the exposed population. Since traumatic exposure results in added risk to child well-being, the third section of the volume describes strategies for primary prevention (e.g. violence prevention) and risk mitigation (e.g. skill and resilience building strategies), as well as reviews evidence based treatments for trauma-induced clinical disorders.

Because of the complex range of factors to be considered in pscyhosis –genetic, neurologic, biologic, environmental, family, culture - this issue of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics presents aspects that have the greatest relevance and impact in diagnosing and treating child and adolescent patients. Among some of the topics covered: Schizophrenia, Affective disorders and Psychosis, Comorbid diseases, Neurocognition, Genetics, Neuroimaging findings, and Treatment approaches of Psychopharmacology, Psychotherapy, and Community Rehabilitation. Jean Frazier, an expert in child and adolescent neuropsychiatry and in child psychopharmacology, leads this issue along with Yael Dvir, whose research and clinical interests include childhood psychosis and the associations between childhood psychosis and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

This issue of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, guested edited by Dr. Vera Feuer, will cover an array of essential topics surrounding Emergency Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Articles include: Suicide screening in Pediatric Emergency Settings, Agitation management in pediatric emergencies, Child Life’s role in a Clinical Pathway for Behavioral Emergencies, The role of Security personnel and a model curriculum, Clinical pathways in ER, Social services and Behavioral Emergencies, Referrals-linkage, Telepsychiatry in Emergency Rooms, and Crisis services in community, among others.

This issue of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics focuses on non-pharmacologic interventions for ADHD in children and adolescents. Editors Stephen Faraone's and Kevin Antshel's goal with this publication is to help the clinician decipher the literature base in an attempt to make informed decisions and recommendations for the families that they treat in light of new non-pharmacologic interventions. To guide readers of this issue, Authors present information in a specific structure designed to describe the non-pharmacologic intervention theoretically and practically, as well as provide clinically useful information regarding who is most likely to respond and which outcomes are most likely to be affected by treatment. Likewise, Authors include information on adverse effects / contraindications of the non-pharmacologic treatments and how treatments should be sequenced and/or integrated with other treatments. Science is translated into clinical practice that can be easily applied; this volume strikes a balance between reviewing the evidence base and providing clinically useful information. Among the topics are: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with ADHD; Nutritional Supplements for the Treatment of ADHD; School-Based Interventions for Elementary School Students with ADHD; Middle and High School Based Interventions for Adolescents with ADHD; Healthy Body, Healthy Mind? The Effectiveness of Physical Activity to Treat ADHD in Children; Neurofeedback for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Review of Current Evidence; Social Skills Training; Behavior Management for Preschool-Aged Children; Computer-based Cognitive Training for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A review of current evidence; Restriction and Elimination Diets in ADHD Treatment; Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of ADHD: A Review; Summer Treatment Programs for Youth with ADHD; Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for ADHD; Behavior Management for School Aged Children with ADHD; Family Therapy for Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; An Integrated Dietary/Nutritional Approach to ADHD; Toward an Evidence-Based Taxonomy of Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Psychopharmacology is a dominant treatment in child and adolescent psychiatry with proven benefits to young patients. The authors present topics related to PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY ISSUES: Ethical issues, Treatment planning, Side effects, Neural correlates, and Pharmacogenomics. They address DRUGS FOR SPECIFIC DISEASES: Anxiety, Depression, Eating disorders, Sleep disorders, Psychosis and Schizophrenia, High-risk for bilpolar and schizophrenia, Bipolar, ADHD, and Autism. Each topic presents an Overview of the Disease or Issue, Empirical evidence for ethical issues, Treatment summaries that include dose ranges, side effects, contraindications, and how the drugs are used specifically for a disorder. Treatment in the presence of co-morbid conditions, Long-term evidence, and Conclusions and Future directions complete the presentations. Clinical vignettes are provided that exemplify the main points of the topic.

Patients in psychiatry, or their parents, experiment with alternative methods and practices. Psychiatrists, in search of scientifically-based discussion and evidence of use for daily practice, find that information in this issue of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics. Readers will find clinically focused information in the major categories of Selected Treatments, Selected Disorders, and Perspectives on Clinical Complementary and Alternative Therapies. Micronutrients for mental disorders, the role of essential fatty acids. EEG and Neurofeedback, Mind-Body Meditation and Movement Therapies, Music Therapy, are presented. Evidence for minerals, vitamins, and herbs is discussed. Guest Editors Deborah Simkin and Charles Popper, with decades of experience in working with complementary therapies, lead this issue.

In this issue of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, consulting editor Dr. Harsh Trivedi has selected topics that continually are at the forefront for child and adolescent psychiatrists.Among the top topics are: Children's Exposure to Violent Video Games and Desensitization to Violence; Neurobiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Psychosocial Interventions in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; 5. Social Skills Training for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders; 6. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; and Adolescent Eating Disorders: Definitions, Symptomatology, Epidemiology and Comorbidity. Authors renown in the psychiatric field and the pediatric field provide the physician clinical outcomes and therapeutic management of these disorders.