Autism and Related Disorders

Weekday mornings are always a struggle in the Smith household. Like most preteens, Joseph likes to sleep. The 12-year-old is slow to start and has trouble shifting gears -especially before breakfast. Constant prompting from his mom Kathleen keeps him on track, and eventually, he gets himself bathed, dressed, fed, and out the door to school.

Families whose children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder typically have a wide range of reactions: sadness, fear, and, for some, relief at having a name for their child's challenges. While they all have drastically different experiences, almost all agree on one thing: there aren't enough educational professionals trained to help their children.

The playroom of Kennedy Krieger Institute's Achievements program doesn't look like a typical child's playroom. There are no blocks, books, dolls or trucks lining the shelves or scattered about the floor. In fact, the room seems practically devoid of toys, those things that inspire the imaginations of children but it's not.

In a major announcement, the National Institutes of Health has awarded Kennedy Krieger Institute a five-year, $7.7 million grant to become a national center devoted to autism research, focusing on neurobiologic origins of autism, as well as early detection and intervention.

The early years of a child's life are an exciting and promising time. Parents eagerly anticipate seeing their child's first steps and hearing her first words. But what happens when time passes and these milestones don't occur? When should parents seek help, and where can they find it?

Dominic Maloni could not have been a better baby. He was quiet and easy going. In his first year of life, he met all of the usual milestones sitting up, speaking his first words, walking.

(Baltimore, MD) - Internationally-known researchers and clinicians will gather next month in Baltimore to share recent findings on autism, a disorder affecting 1.5 million Americans, in a two-day educational conference hosted by the Kennedy Krieger Institute.