Therapy & Coaching for Autism, Asperger's, ADHD
  • Home
  • Autism/Asperger's
  • ADHD/ADD
    • Adult ADHD
    • Child ADHD
  • Couples Counseling
  • CBT
  • Coaching
    • Parent Coaching
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Consultation
  • Blog
  • Contact Me
    • About Me
    • FAQ
  • Current Clients
  • Resources

STAR Presentation on Medical and Complementary Treatments in Autistic Spectrum Disorders

4/24/2008

 
One of the speakers at the STAR conference (see previous post for details) this past weekend was Renee C. Wachtel, MD, the Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital and Research Center, in Oakland, California. Her talk was on Medical and Complementary Treatments in Autistic Spectrum Disorders.


The best part of this presentation? It was very well documented. It’s a constant difficulty that research on psychoactive medications is so difficult to find. As always, scientific data is more scarce than we’d prefer it to be, due to the vast difficulties in testing large enough sample groups and adding in control groups.  Add in the problems with using these medications on a subset of children with autistic spectrum disorders and it can seem like medication is just a guessing game. Certainly, there is still a tremendous opportunity to do more research, but Dr. Wachtel demonstrated that there have been some good studies.


Dr. Wachtel discussed the psychoactive medications children on the autism spectrum are frequently taking, and presented summaries of the studies that examined the efficacy of these drugs. The data is was quite detailed, and I’m a psychotherapist, not a medical doctor, so I’m not going to go into more specifics beyond stating that it’s worth finding a medical doctor who has thoroughly researched the data on these medications. 


The other interesting aspect of this presentation was Dr. Wachtel’s discussion of  complementary and alternative medicine. She defied these as “A group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that ... are not presently considered part of conventional medicine.” Examples she discussed were vitamins, diet modifications, and biologic treatments, and she brought up some treatments that she described as seriously risky. With so much information on the web about treatments for autism, it can be nearly impossible to sort the science from the hype. This presentation gave some clear details of well performed scientific studies and Dr. Wachtel concluded that these interventions can be studied in a scientific way.


What’s my conclusion from seeing this presentation? Although there are still so many questions, it’s clear that there is good science being performed, and informed and well educated doctors are available. No one has all the answers, but parents can find professionals who can help them sort through what’s out there to get the best possible answers for their kids.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Patricia Robinson MFT

    I'm a licensed therapist in Danville, California and a coach for Asperger's and ADHD nationwide. I work with individuals of all ages who have special needs, like Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADD, ADHD, and the family members and partners of special needs individuals.

    ​I'm also an engineer, with two degrees from MIT and over a decade working in high tech corporations.

    I work hard to help you solve problems and make a difference in your life.

    Archives

    February 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety And Depression
    Bay Area Local
    Books
    College And Career Issues
    Dating And Marriage And Sex
    Executive Function
    For Parents
    Movies And TV
    Online Resources
    Social And Emotional

    RSS Feed

Patricia Robinson MFT
(925) 915-0924
9000 Crow Canyon Road Suite S-284
Danville, CA 94506
[email protected]
​
Material on this website is for informational and/or educational purposes only and is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional services. Use of this website does not establish a therapeutic relationship.              
Copyright 2013 Patricia Robinson MFT All rights reserved.  
Privacy Policy  Terms of Use 
  • Home
  • Autism/Asperger's
  • ADHD/ADD
    • Adult ADHD
    • Child ADHD
  • Couples Counseling
  • CBT
  • Coaching
    • Parent Coaching
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Consultation
  • Blog
  • Contact Me
    • About Me
    • FAQ
  • Current Clients
  • Resources