SafeMinds Board Vice President Dr. Michael Cummings, M.D., Spearheads Successful Mental Health Services Program for Families Facing Autism
Research shows that up to 56 percent of people with autism aggress against their caregivers, and that autism mothers have been shown to have the same level of stress as combat soldiers. There are few resources and support services available to meet the behavioral and mental health needs of the growing population of people with autism, […]
Autism Prevalence – Examining the Myths and Truths
SafeMinds interviews the New Jersey investigator for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) autism prevalence report of 1 in 59 children, examining the truths and myths behind the latest numbers from the Federal Government. The big news for May was the release of new autism prevalence numbers from the Federal Government. The CDC study by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 59 children have autism, up from the 1 in 68 they reported just two years ago. This alarming increase compelled SafeMinds to call for an emergency meeting with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Along with other autism organizations, SafeMinds is demanding a Federal Autism Strategic Plan that address the urgent crisis of autism.
Autism & Mental Health: Problems & Solutions
Two new studies point to higher and growing healthcare costs for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the lifespan, particularly in the area of mental health. A new model program in New York might have an answer to this critical problem. A new study reports that children with autism were up to 30 times more likely to use emergency departments (ED) than youth without ASD. Many of those visits were for non-urgent ED visits, which is a costly way to provide routine healthcare. Up to 13 percent of visits were for behavioral or psychiatric problems, far more than for children without autism, for whom less than two percent of visits were for psychiatric problems. Youth with ASD were also likely to have repeat visits to the ED and more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric unit or medical floor. The study was a review of the literature published between 1985 and 2016.
The Constant Worry of Wandering & Elopement
A news report from ABC Affiliate WMAR in Baltimore focuses on the dangers of wandering and elopement by children with autism. “There was no sign (of him) and it was as if the world just stopped”, recounts autism mom Tonia Ferguson on the day she woke up and her son was missing. It’s a fearful […]
Why We Can and Should Focus on Autism Prevention
In light of the recent increase in autism from 1 in 68 to 1 in 59 children in just two years, a new video by scientist Bruce Lanphear it worth watching and sharing. The video makes the case for preventing chronic diseases like autism rather than chasing down genes or finding cures. In “Cause or Cure. Is the relentless pursuit of a cure hazardous to our health?”, Dr. Lanphear says that more health and science dollars need to be directed to prevention. His approach to prevention is identifying environmental exposures that promote disease and then investing in removing these exposures.
Autism Prevalence – Examining the Myths and Truths – Video Transcript
Transcript of Video Heidi Roger: Hi. I’m Heidi Roger. I am a board of director for SafeMinds, and I am the mom of a 23-year-old man with autism. Today, we’re speaking with Dr. Walter Zahorodny, the associate professor of pediatrics at the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University, and director of the New Jersey […]
