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Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health has confirmed. The research team made the finding by carefully documenting a prior diagnosis of autism in a small group of school-age children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder.

Many kids struggle with developmental problems at some point in their childhoods, and getting care for them can be costly and confusing. If your child isn’t babbling or sitting at nine months, for instance, struggles with stairs or speaks unclearly at age three, you might be worried about a developmental delay. Help is available to enable your child to catch up, but parents will need to navigate a complicated zone where health care rubs up against education—and kids sometimes fall through the cracks.

The statistics weren’t comforting: In March 2012 the Centers for Disease Control estimated that one in 88 American children is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. We’re still not sure exactly what causes autism, and we’re not sure why the number of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased since the early 1990s. According to the National Academy of Sciences, it could be because people are more aware of autism spectrum disorders today; because pediatricians are doing more screening; and because there have been changes in how autism disorders have been defined and diagnosed. In other words, more children with milder symptoms are being identified as somewhere “on the spectrum,” where they wouldn’t have been in years before. But as the Dimicks discovered—like many other parents before them—plenty of doctors claimed to have all the answers. The road parents must navigate is made more perilous by medical professionals willing to prescribe all sorts of treatments, from hyperbaric oxygen chambers and chelation therapy (which removes heavy metals with chemicals) to shelves full of dietary supplements and other alternative remedies they say can treat, even cure, autism. At best these treatments remain unapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; at worst they are downright dangerous. To compound the problem, a host of celebrities act as unpaid marketing reps for these unproven treatments, touting a pervasive (but incorrect) belief that autism is caused by childhood vaccines. This misinformation campaign has led, in the last few years, to a decline in the number of children receiving lifesaving inoculations. And Texas has become a center for alternative autism treatment and the anti-vaccine crusade.

Goals: To build local capacity and expand inclusive child care options for families by providing training, resources, and technical assistance directly to Montana's child care resource and referral programs (specifically the Early Childhood Specialists), licensed child care programs, LCPs (legally certified providers), PLUK (Montana parent and training information program), and CFSP (regional child/family service providers/early intervention programs).

The report, commissioned by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, offers a number of recommendations for policymakers and educators. They include: high expectations for all learners with accountability measures that indicate how individual students are doing; early-childhood programs that prepare children for reading and identify young children at risk of having reading problems; curricula, instructional practices and tools, and assessments that are science-based and accessible to all students; and teacher training and ongoing professional development that incorporate findings from neuroscience as well as best practices for how to teach reading.

There’s a fine line between a naturally active child and a child who is affected by hyperactivity disorder. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tends to become noticeable early on in childhood, at around 2 or three years old, but because most kids are naturally prone to daydreaming, fidgety behavior and a short attention span, ADHD is often not recognized until much later on in life.

Growing numbers of American families say they’re raising a child who has a disability, and the most-prevalent conditions are less and less likely to be physical disorders. A report released this week by Princeton University and the Brookings Institution found that the top five chronic childhood conditions that limit typical activities are some type of developmental, behavioral or mental problem.

Flu is most deadly for children with neurologic problems and disorders, an analysis of swine flu fatalities finds. The results come from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers who looked at childhood fatalities during the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009, when there were five times the usual number of deaths. In all, 43 percent of the deaths occurred in children who had neurologic diseases, such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy, or developmental disorders.

What:Child Care Resources has had to cancel some CSEFEL classes since they didn't fill with child care providers, so they are opening them up to social service providers and others.  The cost is very reasonable.  The focus will be more on group settings.  Child Care Resources is offering the following courses for Early Childhood educators and child care providers:1. The Pyramid Model (CSEFEL) Preschool Module 1    December 19, 2011    8:30 am - 2:30 pm    Childcare Resources - Missoula    Click here to register/more information!2. The Pyramid Model (CSEFEL) for Preschool Module One     January 23, 2012    8:30 am - 2:30 pm    Childcare Resources - Missoula    Click here to register/more information!3. The Pyramid Model (CSEFEL) for Preschool Module Two    March 5, 2012    8:30 am - 2:30 pm    Childcare Resources - Missoula    Click here to register/more information!Cost is $30 per session.Contact:Lucy Marose lucy@childcareresources.org  or  Jennifer Swartz jennifer@childcareresources.org

Click here to participate in the Talk!What:AppleTree Institute in Washington, DC, has been implementing RTI in preschool settings since 2007 to support the development of language, social-emotional, and foundational academic skills of three- and four-year-old children. Join Mary Anne Lesiak and Lydia Carlis as they explore the application of multi-tiered systems of support in early childhood settings and answer your questions about key issues. Ms. Lesiak and Dr. Carlis will offer specific tips for how school teams can work together to introduce and sustain RTI at the preschool level.When:Tuesday, December 13, 20111:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. MTContact:National Center for Learning DisabilitiesToll-Free: 888-575-7373 Phone: 646-616-1252Fax: 202-842-1942

Play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in early childhood. It is a natural tool for children to develop resiliency as they learn to cooperate, overcome challenges, and negotiate with others.

Click here for Registration and more information! What and When: Adolescent and Young Adult Health Institutue Saturday, Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Interested in learning more about how your maternal and child health program can better serve adolescents? How well do you understand adolescent development? We know that adolescence is a time of biological, psychological and social changes – but we often view adolescence as a monolithic stage of development and design adolescent health programs accordingly. However, the reality is that there are several stages of development within adolescence – each with its own unique biological, psychological and social changes. If you’re interested in learning more about the different stages, needs and risk factors of adolescence and considering how these differences can impact your program design and implementation, join us for a two-part, day-long Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Institute. Special Events Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant Training-Current Initiatives and Updates Saturday, Feb. 11, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. This session will provide an update on Title V MCH Block Grant activities. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear about the latest enhancements to the Title V Information System (TVIS); changes to the FY 2013 Title V MCH Block Grant Application/FY 2011 Annual Report submission process; revisions to the MCH Block Grant Application/Annual Report Guidance; new Women’s Health Profiles available on TVIS; State Priorities from 2000 to 2010, as reported in the 5-year Needs Assessments; and an update on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Sunday, February 12, 2012 1:00-3:30 p.m. Networking Reception and John C. MacQueen Memorial Lecture (TBD) Be an Influencer: How You Can Create Change for Healthy Tomorrows Monday, February 13, 2012 Do you experience resistant and persistent personal, team, or organizational problems? Do you feel that you have the skills you need to motivate those you work with and exert your influence in your personal and professional lives? How can we improve MCH outcomes if we are not agents of change and influence in our organizations? Join us for a discussion of proven strategies you can use to uproot entrenched habits and create change initiatives for your team and your entire organization in this real-life, solution focused session. Want more after the session? Our presenter, Candace Bertotti, will convene a workshop for interested participants who want to know more about the Influencer model immediately following the general session. Where: Washington, D.C. Contact: AMCHP Help Desk Phone: (202) 775-0436

Families concerned about health care costs now have one less thing to worry about: As of Jan. 1, children 18 and younger get their vaccinations without having to pay the cost of the vaccine.

Maine's Universal Childhood Immunization Program (www.mevaccine.org) was initiated by the past Legislature and pools funds from the Maine Immunization Program and from private insurers to buy vaccines, which are then supplied to doctors' offices for free.

Reserve your spot here!What:This webinar will focus on CDC's Life Course Model and public health approach for rare and complex disabling conditions, such as fragile X syndrome, muscular dystrophy and spina bifida.  Panelists will provide an overview of childhood-onset conditions, discuss current approaches to data collection, and describe how CDC incorporates a life course approach into its work.When: Tuesday, November 29, 20112:00 PM - 3:00 PM MT

Wendy Lofthouse is currently teaching second grade at Paxson Eementary in Missoula, Mont., and after 17 years of teaching she marvels at the wonderment of childhood.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that first appears during early childhood. It affects how a person behaves and interacts with others. People with autism might not look you in the eye when talking. They may spend a lot of time lining up toys or other objects. Or they may say the same sentence over and over. The disorder is so variable—affecting each person in very different ways—that it can be difficult to diagnose and treat. This variability is why autism is called a “spectrum” disorder. It spans the spectrum from mild to severe and includes a wide range of symptoms.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Diagnosing ADHD can be tough and once a diagnosis is discovered, the next steps are crucial. For this reason we have compiled an eight part series on that will provide you with over 100 ADD/ADHD resources in a series of weekly blog posts. This post is part six:

As part of the transition from childhood to adult life, planning inevitably includes housing decisions. Finding and securing housing and residential supports for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be challenging for the individual and the family. Autism Speaks is trying to make this overwhelming journey easier through a series of tools to guide you through the process of establishing residential services and supports for your loved one with autism. By giving you the tools you need to make housing choices, we hope to make this often complicated journey as simple and successful as possible. The Housing and Residential Supports section of the Autism Speaks website contains several sections that will provide you with the information you need, help you search for housing options, and keep you informed of promising developments, resources, and news in housing and residential supports.

The Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released in May 2013, bringing with it several revisions to the criteria for the diagnosis and classification of mental disorders. One important change was for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) classifications. Under the new DSM-5 criteria, clinicians will diagnosis individuals with a single umbrella diagnosis of ASD, rather than the four separate disorders that could be diagnosed under the DSM-IV: autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.