An Overview of Recent Developments in Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Over the last decade, the amount of attention on autism has continued to increase among professionals and parents alike. Particular emphasis is placed on the care of young children with the disorder. The growing recognition that autism is a lifelong condition that can be best supported by interventions provided as early as possible has been a major catalyst for these developments. In this chapter, we discuss some of the advances that have occurred since the first edition of our volume was published. Among these subject areas are the continuing increase in the prevalence rates of autism in the general population, issues that have cropped up around the world since the COVID-19 pandemic, trends in the types of treatments that are being applied along with their impacts on parents, and the incorporation of technology. Issues in diagnosis and assessment have emerged as have new or modified treatments, some of which are wacky whereas others that are mainstream. These topics are hardly the only new issues covered in this expansive text, but they do provide some notions about how the field is expanding and maturing.