October Montreal Conference-Tony Charman on Screening, Diagnosis, Intervention

[Guest guest]

The Harriet and Abe Gold Learning Centre

for Autism and Developmental Disability

invites you to a

Conference

on

Screening, Early Diagnosis and Treatment Approaches for Pre-school

Children with Autism

Spectrum Disorder

with Dr. Tony Charman

Thursday, October 28, 2004

9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Hilton Montreal Airport

12505 Côte de Liesse, Dorval (Montreal), Quebec

Screening, Early Diagnosis and Treatment Approaches for Pre-school

Children with Autism

Spectrum Disorder

with Dr. Tony Charman

Over the past 10 years a UK-based research group has conducted a

number of studies

testing whether it is possible to prospectively screen for autism,

what the outcome is for

children identified and diagnosed with autism before the age of 2

years and whether

parent training approaches to developing early communication

abilities are effective. Dr.

Charman will present an overview of this program of work and recent

findings from

related studies by other groups. Understanding the `natural

history' of development in

different domains of behaviour in children with autism has important

implications for

assessment and for the design of treatment studies.

1. Screening for autism:

The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) has been tested in a

whole population

(16,000) of 18-month-old children. Whilst it was possible to identify

children with autism,

the screen missed more cases than it identified. In a subsequent

study community nurses

used the screen to identify probable cases of autism in 2-year-olds.

Several other groups

in North America and Europe have since begun studies testing

screening instruments. An

overview and update of what we know about autism screens from these

studies, the

limitations of screening instruments and the clinical and ethical

challenges that

prospective and early identification of autism bring will be

discussed.

2. Diagnosing autism in 2 year old children:

Progress has recently been made in the earlier identification of

children with autism. Whilst

being welcome, this progress to earlier referral and diagnosis

presents new challenges to

clinical practice, including the accuracy and stability of early

diagnosis, the utility of

standardised assessment instruments with young pre-schoolers and the

ability to indicate

prognosis. From our studies we have the experience of following

children first diagnosed

before the age of 2 years. We will review how stable diagnosis is,

whether autism looks

different in 2 years olds compared to in 4-to-5–year-old

children, and what factors were

related to outcome. We will also outline clinical recommendations for

early diagnosis and

our experiences of discussing possible autism with parents of

2-year-old children.

3. Parent training approaches to early intervention:

There is now wide agreement that, along with structure and an

emphasis on developing

communication skills, children with autism should be enrolled into

programs as early as

possible. One focus for very young non-verbal children with autism is

on the development

of the joint attention and joint activity skills that are the

foundation of language. We have

conducted a pilot randomised control study of a parent-training

approach to teaching

such skills. Other groups in the UK have adopted similar approaches

and recent findings

from these studies will be summarised. Recommendations for the role

of joint attention

and joint action activities as important components of early

intervention programs for

young pre-school children with autism will be made.

4. Joint attention as a pivotal skill in understanding the

development of autism:

Joint attention abilities play a crucial role in the development of

autism. Impairments in

joint attention are amongst the earliest signs of the disorder and

joint attention skills

relate to outcome, both in the 'natural course' of autism and through

being targeted in

early intervention programs. This short session will briefly review

research investigating

the psychological and neurological processes that might underlie the

impaired

development of joint attention in autism.

The Presenter:

Dr. Tony Charman is Member of the Faculty of the Behavioural & Brain

Sciences Unit,

Institute of Child Health, University College London in London

England. He trained as a

Clinical Psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry and studied

Natural Sciences at

Cambridge University. An internationally recognised expert in the

field of autism research,

Dr. Charman's main research interest is the investigation of

social, cognitive and

communicative development in children with autism and other

neurodevelopmental

disorders. He has extensive experience in the clinical application of

this work via

screening, early intervention and epidemiological studies. Dr.

Charman is an Associate

Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and the

Journal of Child

Psychology and Psychiatry and on the Editorial Board of the journal:

Autism: The

International Journal of Research and Practice.

Timetable

9:15 to 10:30 Screening and surveillance for autism

10:30 to 10:45 Break

10:45 to Noon The early diagnosis of autism

Noon to 1:15 Lunch

1:15 to 2:45 Parent training approaches to early intervention

2:45 to 3:00 Break

3:00 to 3:30 Joint attention as a pivotal skill in autism

3:30 to 4:30 Panel Discussion

To register or for information please call (514) 345-0210 ext. 319.

www.goldlearningcentre.com