Management of General Medical Conditions

Abstract

There is increasing awareness that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant medical needs. In this chapter, we will review the evaluation and management of common medical comorbidities in children with ASD: sleep disturbances, seizures, and gastrointestinal disorders. Evaluating these disorders in children with ASD may require greater attention to a parent's intuition that something is not right, a higher level of attention to subtle nonverbal clues from the child, and an appreciation that common medical disorders may present in uncommon ways. Because of the complexity, the primary care provider (PCP) may need to collaborate with other team members (educators, therapists, and other medical subspecialists) to establish a plan for evaluation and management of these conditions. Unfortunately, parents of children with ASD have difficulty accessing this type of interdisciplinary care within the current system of health-care delivery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)