This offering is Part II of a two-part series. We encourage participants to view Part I here.

This presentation challenged dated notions that autism is a disorder of behavior or a disorder of attachment and recognized that autism has varied expressions (spectrum) reflecting human neurodiversity.  Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition, with likely genetic origins, affecting the structure and function of the brain which controls reasoning, problem solving, memory, communication, sensory processing, regulation and motor planning. Autism presents along a continuum of severity and affects 1 in 34 four-year-olds. Boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed than girls and approximately 27 % of diagnosed children present with profound autism.

In Part II of this two-part series, the presenters reviewed screening and diagnosis of ASD, recent findings about autism in girls, evidence-based interventions and the impact of ASD on the family. Unique features, including sensory atypicality, anxiety and the question of attachment and autism, were addressed. Autism is a complex disorder of relating and communicating best understood and treated from a multidisciplinary perspective-the prism through which this webinar was presented.

Learning Objectives

As an outcome of attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify currently recommended screening and assessment tools
2. Identify the “masking” features sometimes observed in girls
3. Compare and contrast between behavioral and developmental intervention models
4. Describe the challenges and rewards identified by parents rearing a child with ASD