One child in every 166 births will be diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In response to this concern, the Autism Treatment Center presented the first South Texas Autism Summit Saturday, held at the Health Science Center and hosted by the department of family and community medicine.
Distinguished guest Jose Cordero, M.D., assistant surgeon general for the CDC, provided information about the national response to autism and current initiatives to find effective interventions. A native Puerto Rican, Dr. Cordero is particularly interested in the prevalence of autism in the South Texas area where a high Hispanic population resides.
“It was a great honor to have Dr. Cordero at the summit,” said Claudia S. Miller, professor of occupational and environmental medicine and vice chair of community medicine. As medical director of environmental health and medicine educational initiative at the Regional Academic Health Center, and director of the South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) program, Dr. Miller also focuses on health initiatives in South Texas to treat diseases such as autism. “Dr. Cordero provided insight to more than 250 parents and professionals in attendance who are looking to lower the prevalence of autism and learn more about the current state of autism research and treatment.”
Autism is a psychiatric disorder characterized by language impairment, deficits in communication and social interaction, and abnormal behavior, such as repetitive acts and excessive attachment to certain objects.
Information about new advances in the field, as well as the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field was beneficial to attendees. Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., provided a welcome and stressed the importance of events such as the Autism Summit that raise awareness of specific diseases. Some of the topics included:
•The potential role of environmental exposures and autism, presented by Dr. Miller
•Information on mercury and autism, presented by Ray Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community medicine
•Autism from a national policy and treatment perspective, presented by Chris Johnson, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics
“We are so proud to have the opportunity to partner with such an outstanding and dedicated organization,” Dr. Cigarroa said. “With 6,000 children and young adults in the San Antonio area with autism, educational opportunities such as these are vital to the care we provide.”
Other parts of the summit addressed issues such as implementation of optimal services, early screening and diagnosis, and biomedical research.
