ATN�s MISSION is to create a �gold standard� of medical treatment that will be made broadly available to physicians, researchers, parents, policy makers and others dedicated to enhancing the care of individuals with autism. The organization�s plan features the creation of five regional �centers of clinical excellence� whose physicians will provide a full spectrum of state-of-the-art care, conduct clinical research and mentor talented young trainees.

Such a comprehensive autism treatment program already exists in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), one of ATN�s founding members. MGH�s exemplary program is serving as a model for instituting treatment standards to be applied at other centers.

A second key element of ATN�s plan is the development of a shared National Medical Database to record the results of treatments and studies at the regional treatment centers�an approach that has proven effective in enhancing care among other childhood diseases.

Why ATN Is Needed Now

A significant segment of the medical community continues to be reluctant to treat autistic patients because diagnostic and treatment procedures for associated medical conditions simply do not exist.  This is due, in part, to the fact that physicians and parents have traditionally viewed autism as a communication and behavioral disorder. Thus, treatment has tended to focus on these aspects of autism, while medical conditions in patients have not received adequate attention. As a result, too many individuals with autism continue to suffer from untreated medical problems.

Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges

Providing medical care for autistic patients can be especially challenging, even for the most informed clinicians. Some autistic patients exhibit behaviors that make careful examination difficult. Many do not speak and cannot state their discomfort. Those who do speak cannot always localize pain accurately. Behavioral disruptions�viewed frequently as conduct typical of the disorder� may in fact be the only way that a person with autism is able to communicate their illness.

Failure to diagnose underlying medical disorders can exacerbate behavioral disruptions or lead to other serious health problems. A ruptured appendix or gastric ulcer, for example, can be fatal if undiagnosed. And significant medical conditions which are not identified may lead to more serious health issues later in life.

The Urgent Need for Reliable Criteria

There is cause for hope and expectation. A number of physicians have met with varying measures of success in understanding and addressing the medical conditions of their patients with autism. Further, recent clinical experience has shown that autistic patients realize greater benefit from their educational, therapeutic and vocational interventions if their underlying health conditions have been addressed. Until now, there has been no broad-based means to validate and promote these advances, which has slowed progress and prevented exciting findings from being shared widely.

ATN will fill this role. The first step is to develop reliable criteria in the form of a all-inclusive standard of care that will guide physicians in the identification and treatment of medical conditions associated with autism. The time for such a standard is long overdue.

How ATN Plans to Develop New Standards of Treatment

To create the �gold standard� of medical treatment, ATN plans to establish and support a community of engaged physicians, clinicians, researchers and families. Working together, these groups will create and develop effective, broadly available treatments for individuals with autism. The platform for their work will be five  regional �centers of clinical excellence� that are designed to provide state-of-the art care for children and teens with autism. The centers�to be situated in prominent medical institutions now participating in ATN�s formation�will house a group of leading researchers and physicians who will collaborate on the development of comprehensive medical treatment practices for autism, conduct clinical research and prepare young physician/scientists for careers in autism treatment and study.

At the outset, ATN will also build a shared National Medical Database to record the results of treatments and studies at the regional treatment centers. The database will comprise a growing body of scientific evidence that is fundamental to developing reliable treatment criteria. This approach has proven highly effective in advancing care in other medical conditions such as childhood leukemia and cystic fibrosis.

At each regional center, patients will receive comprehensive care, including assessment, diagnosis and treatment based on �best practice� medical and scientific standards. The centers will be formed within three years, and their primary goals are to:

1.      Emphasize identification and treatment of medical conditions associated with autism;

2.      Provide collaborative opportunities for careful evaluation of new treatment approaches for several aspects of autism; and

3.      Develop and disseminate state-of-the-art guidance for long-term management of autism to health care practitioners and physicians in training.

To extend its plan nationally, ATN will form active partnerships with parent groups, federal and state agencies, professional societies and others to broaden knowledge and awareness of its mission.

ATN�s Collaborative Approach

ATN began as a joint venture between the Northwest Autism Foundation in Oregon and MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston. Their initial association concentrated on several medical issues of children with autism, and in the course of their studies they found that medical care of people with autism was far less than ideal. A major part of the problem was the absence of any organized group devoted to defining a high standard of medical care for autistic patients.

ATN was foreseen as filling this central role, and the initial steps in its formation included the recruitment of a group of distinguished physicians and researchers who would define the new organization�s mission and goals. Today, ATN includes health care practitioners from six leading medical centers:

�         Massachusetts General Hospital - Boston, MA

�         Oregon Health and Sciences University - Portland, OR

�         Baylor College of Medicine - Houston, TX

�         University of Washington Medical Center - Seattle, WA

�         Columbia University Medical Center - New York, NY

�         Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

A Complement to Basic Research

ATN�s ultimate goal is to benefit the broadest base of individuals and families possible. In addition to reviewing the best clinical practices that exist today in the field of autism, ATN�s leaders will pursue clinical research based on the most promising of these practices and share this information with peers and appropriate medical institutions. This practice-based approach will provide an urgently needed complement to basic scientific research and promises to have a dramatic impact on the lives of thousands of children and individuals with autism and their families.

To realize ATN�s potential, significant resources are needed. The centers will provide the framework for enhanced care, innovative clinical research and advanced medical training. Generous support is also needed from parents and other friends who want to be sure that ATN advances its program without delay.

Exploring Medically Treatable Conditions

Most financial resources devoted to autism, including government funding and philanthropy, have supported research on the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for the disorder. Relatively little funding has been dedicated to the exploration of associated medically treatable conditions that may affect the developmental outcome of individuals with autism. ATN will help foster increased support for this area of study