Developing Therapies for Social Skills Deficits in Autistic Spectrum Disorder (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, LMFTs and Nurses

Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD

Content By: Frye, R. E. (2018). Social skills deficits in autism spectrum disorder: Potential biological origins and progress in developing therapeutic agents. CNS Drugs, 32(8), 713-734.

Course Description: Deficits in social skills are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and there is currently no US Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for any of the core symptoms associated with ASD. Ongoing research has identified early social skill development differences that appear prior to ASD diagnosis and the pathophysiological mechanisms might elucidate promising avenues for the development of therapeutic agents. Previous and ongoing clinical trials testing novel therapeutics are reviewed. While several agents show promise, further research is needed to ameliorate existing issues such as high placebo response rates, variability in measuring outcomes (e.g., social skills) and problems with trial design.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the role of social deficits in the clinical manifestation of autism spectrum disorder
2. List three features that highlight the general pathophysiology of autism
3. Describe the physiological effects of two promising pharmacological agents to improve social skills deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Social skills deficits in autism spectrum disorder: Potential biological origins and progress in developing therapeutic agents
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Reflect on XYZ
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand XYZ

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics, i.e., gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: