Psychologist David Holmes, an adviser to the Autism Society of America, called the new guidelines an important step. Substantial progress has been made in the past 20 years in developing drugs and behavioral and educational programs that can influence brain development and result in significant improvement. Autism is much more common in boys and typically shows up by age 3. Affected children may not respond when talked to, fail to make eye contact and engage in repetitive behavior such as rocking and head-banging. They often have a severely limited range of interests and may be unusually sensitive to sounds or touch.
Experts think there are many causes but believe genes play a role.
Doctors should reassure parents about vaccine safety and encourage parents to immunize their children, the guidelines say. Numerous unconventional treatments also have emerged, including the highly publicized digestive enzyme secretin. But a study in May's Pediatrics involving 64 autistic children found it was no more effective than a placebo, bolstering previous research showing it had no benefits. Pediatricians should nonetheless be knowledgeable about alternative treatments since many parents may seek them, the academy says.