Multidisciplinary Approaches in Developing Guideline for Mediating Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: To initiate and develop a treatment guideline in multidisciplinary approaches for related professions who are either working and/or living with children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders who show behavioral problems. METHODS: To collect and reflect opinions from multiple professions who assumedly have different interventions or mediations on behavioral problems, a self-report survey and Focus Group Interview (FGI) were conducted for a group of child and adolescent psychiatrists, behavioral therapists, special education teachers, social welfare workers, and caregivers. RESULTS: According to a self-report survey and FGI results from multiple professional groups, aggressive behavior is the mostly common behavioral problem necessitating urgent interventions. However, both mainly used intervention strategies and effective treatment methods were different depending on professional backgrounds, such as pharmacological treatment, parent training, and behavior therapy, even though they shared an importance of improving communication skills. In addition, there was a common understanding of necessity to include parent training in a guideline. Lastly the data suggested lack of proper treatment facilities, qualified behavior therapists, and lack of standardized treatment guideline in the field needed to be improved for a quality of current therapeutic services. CONCLUSION: It is supported that several subjects should be included in the guidelines, such as how to deal with aggressive behavior, parent training, and biological aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders. Also, it is expected that publishing the guideline would be helpful to above multiple professions as it is investigated that there are lack of treatment facility and qualified behavioral therapists compared to need at the moment.

Assessment of Neurologic Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD / 대한소아신경학회지

PURPOSE: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders. previous report have examined the neurologic problems both in ASD and ADHD. METHODS: We studied 49 children with ASD and 51 with ADHD who had visited our hospital's neuropsychiatric clinic from January 1999 to December 2008. We examined age, EEG abnormalities, developmental delays, and seizures in both groups. RESULTS: 1) The mean age of children diagnosed with ASD was 4 years while that for ADHD was 9 years (P=0.000). 2) The percentage of abnormal EEG in children with ASD was 54.5% and that for those with ADHD was 25.4% (P=0.027). 3) The percentage of developmental delays in children with ASD was 89.8% and that for those with ADHD was 39.2% (P=0.000). 4) The mean age of first seizure in children with ASD was 13 years and that for those with ADHD was 6 years (P=0.005). CONCLUSION: The percentage of abnormal EEG and developmental delay in children with ASD was more than in those with ADHD. The mean age of diagnosis in children with ASD was younger than in those with ADHD and the mean age of first seizure in children with ASD was older than in those with ADHD. The percentage children with ASD who exhibited normalized EEGs upon follow-up was greater than that for children with ADHD.