Autism Spectrum Disorders: Assessment and Differential Diagnosis
Offered by the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, and Brown University Office of Continuing Education
Instructor(s): Todd Levine and Stephen Sheinkopf
Location: Brown University
Dates: July 6-10, 2009
Meeting Times: 1:00-4:00pm
Fee: $800
Application Due Date: June 12, 2009
Description: This workshop will provide information regarding the diagnosis and behavioral management of children with autism. Didactic sessions will focus on 1) differential diagnosis, particularly in early childhood; 2) signs of autism in infancy; 3) the limits to and consideration of the appropriateness of very early diagnoses; 4) biological issues in autism; & 5) psychiatric and behavioral management. Discussion will also include consideration of the effects of autism and early diagnosis on parent-child and family interactions. Students will observe diagnostic evaluations of children with suspected Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) or children with an already diagnosed ASD and behavior problems.
Who should attend: Currently practicing counselors, psychologists, educators, special educators, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physicians, infant mental health trainees.
Course Objectives: At the completion of the course participants will be able to:
- Describe diagnostic considerations in evaluating a child for an ASD
- Describe key aspects of differential diagnosis in developmental context
- Evaluate behavioral issues in a developmental context
- Evaluate instruments available for diagnosing ASDs and behavior problems
- Discuss the management of behavior problems in ASD
- Discuss the biological factors in autism
- Analyze the impact of autism on families
- Develop biological and behavioral interventions for children with ASD and behavior problems
Teaching strategies:
Lecture, discussion, demonstration of diagnostic evaluation
Evaluation
Seminar participation
Instructor Bio(s): Dr. Todd Levine, M.D. is a physician with professional training in general pediatrics, general psychiatry, and child & adolescent psychiatry. He has a lifelong interest in understanding autism and pursues it in both research and clinical settings. Dr. Levine’s most current research focuses on biological and behavioral manifestations of anxiety in children with autism. In his clinical work, Dr. Levine has developed a specialized autism clinic focusing on assessments and treatment planning for children with autism and special behavioral needs.
Dr. Stephen Sheinkopf, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Pediatrics, is a research psychologist at the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk at Women & Infants Hospital and is on staff at the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at Bradley Hospital. Dr. Sheinkopf is also on the faculty of the Brown Brain Sciences Program. He received his bachelors in science at Tufts University and his PhD at University of Miami. He completed postdoctoral training at Brown Medical School under an NRSA fellowship. Dr. Sheinkopf’s research interests include the identification of very early signs of autism in infancy, the development of social communication abilities in young children with autism, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children exposed to drugs prenatally. He has served on scientific grant review panels for Autism Speaks and the Autism Research Program through the Department of Defense, and has also reviewed grants for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Sheinkopf serves on the advisory board for the Autism Project of Rhode Island and has been named to the Special House Commission to Study the Education of Children with Autism in the State of Rhode Island.