The 20th annual Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009.

A Preliminary Study of Treatment Decisions Made by Parents of Children with Autism
Norris 102, 9:00 AM

Katelyn  Boswell,   '09 42
   Major: Psychology
   Hometown: Chesterfield, MI

Sponsor(s): Barbara Keyes
Support:  

Abstract: 
After the first 11 cases of autism were reported in 1943, the disorder’s prevalence steadily increased over the next three decades. By the 1980s, the diagnosis of autism was 0.1-0.4 in 1,000, quickly escalating to 2-4 in 1,000 in the 1990s, and currently at approximately 6.7 in 1,000 (CDC, 2007; Kanner, 1943; Rice, 2007). Whether due to genetics, the environment, an increase in awareness, or some combination of these, the alarming rate at which the disorder is being diagnosed has caught the attention of those in research and the media. While much of this attention has helped to raise funds and find treatments for autism, much of the media has generated undue attention to treatments and interventions that lack empirical support. With over 100 treatments of autism available and no one cure, many parents run through several forms of medications, therapies, and interventions before they observe even a semblance of improvement in their child. The aims of this paper are to evaluate the efficacy of the current treatments available to children and adolescents with autism, to examine the sources and factors that affect a parent’s decision in selecting treatments for their child, and to gain an overall perspective on the experience parents undergo as they seek treatments for their children.

 42