From the Stacks
There are literally thousands of journals published around the world that relate to the disability community. It is virtually impossible to capture even a fraction of them. HELEN receives "stacks" of journals and selectively earmarks what we feel are "must read" articles of interest for our readers. It's a HELEN perk.
Medical students' experiences in providing medical care to older patients: A rich picture study
Abstract
Introduction
With an ageing population, future doctors must be prepared to care for older patients facing complex and often chronic needs. Despite curricular efforts, medical students often report less positive attitudes towards providing this care—shaped not only by knowledge gaps but also by cultural norms and the hidden curriculum. Little is known about how students themselves reflect on their clinical encounters with older patients. This study explores medical students' experiences providing care to older patients, and which aspects they find rewarding or frustrating.
Methods
We conducted a qualitative study based on a constructivist paradigm, using semi-structured interviews supported by a visual narrative method (rich pictures). Sixteen final-year medical students who had completed their senior internship were purposively sampled. Participants drew two ‘rich pictures’ representing one positive and one negative clinical experience involving the care of older persons. These drawings were used as prompts for in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
We identified three themes that captured students' experiences: (1) feeling connected, (2) witnessing humane and compassionate care, and (3) making a difference. Rewarding experiences involved human connection, dignity and presence—particularly in end-of-life care or when guided by compassionate role models—leading to a sense of fulfilment. Frustrating experiences arose from poor communication, systemic barriers and unclear goals of care, leaving students feeling powerless, isolated and emotionally burdened.
Conclusion
Students experienced care for older patients as emotionally rich and qualitatively distinct from other clinical work. This practice demands patience, presence, and the ability to navigate complexity beyond mere clinical competence. Medical education should support students in valuing care beyond cure—through fostering reflective practice, peer support, and engaged supervision—helping them reframe what it means to make a difference for older patients and their families in complex, chronic and end-of-life care.
New Method to Motivate Participation in Daily Life/Everyday Life Activities Using Sensor-Based Smart Application Translating Intention into Action (TIA)
Morten Freiesleben 1, Anina Ritterband-Rosenbaum 1, Mikkel Damgaard Justiniano 1
Affiliations Expand
PMID: 41600335 PMCID: PMC12845928 DOI: 10.3390/s26020539
Abstract
Background
We explored a new approach for increasing participation in daily life for individuals with severe movement impairments. The core of the approach is an application designed to Translate Intentions into Action (TIA) as a motivational tool for both leisure and clinical training sessions.
Methods
The TIA application was developed to enable users to activate motivational feedback, like sounds, music, or videos, through movement measured with an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). IMUs were calibrated to user-specific thresholds based on individual movement potential. TIA was tested in two different age groups to assess applicability throughout lifespan and across different motor capacities.
Results
The results indicated that TIA can be used for improved participation when positive feedback is provided during the intervention sessions. Observations demonstrated that regardless of age and motor capabilities, increased participation was achieved. TIA demonstrated the far-reaching potential to enhance the engagement and motivation of individuals with different levels of severe disabilities.
Conclusions
By providing personalized, positive feedback through movement-activated outputs, TIA can be used by a wide range of people, with or without motor disabilities, to control digital outputs, such as video and audio. These findings suggest that TIA can be a valuable tool in both clinical and leisure settings to promote meaningful participation in activities.
Association of Hearing Loss in Children with Cerebral Palsy - PubMed
Vinay Prakash Agarwal 1, Ambrish Kumar Mishra 2, Abhishek Bahadur Singh 3, Himani More 1
PMID: 41568720 DOI: 10.4103/aam.aam_601_25
Background
The disease cerebral palsy (CP) primarily impacts muscle control and movement, potentially resulting in numerous associated disorders in early childhood. One notable complication that may arise in individuals with CP is hearing loss, which can develop due to various underlying factors related to the condition.
Objectives
To assess hearing impairment in CP children by using brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA).
Materials and methods
There were 110 confirmed cases of CP between the ages of 6 months and 10 years. Audiologic Assessment: BERA was used to evaluate the hearing of the children. Demographic, otologic, and audiologic information were collected systematically, accompanied by records detailing other otologic and medical conditions.
Results
The prevalence of hearing loss in children aged ≤4 years (CP). In addition, males were more commonly affected in CP. Prematurity was significantly higher (62%) in the group with hearing loss. The number of maternal infections was also significantly higher in the group with hearing loss (58.33%). Malnutrition, mode of delivery, maternal tobacco use, and maternal alcohol use were not significantly associated with hearing loss. The frequency of low birth weight patients (<2500 g) was higher in hearing loss (79.17%). Neonatal seizure was also significantly associated with hearing loss (54.17%) than in patients without hearing loss (24.42%). Meconium aspiration, delayed crying, neonatal jaundice, neonatal sepsis, exclusive breastfeeding, and immunizations were not significantly associated with hearing loss.
Conclusion
Preterm birth and maternal infections were significantly more common in the group with hearing loss. Low birth weight (<2500 g) and neonatal seizures were also significantly associated with hearing loss.
Girl, 5, is dying from childhood dementia as parents share early sign they missed
Holly Nayler has a mental age of between 12 to 18 months, due to her rare health condition
Joshua Nair
The parents of young girl who is suffering from a rare form of dementia, have opened up on what they missed in the early stages of her condition.
Holly Nayler faces up to almost 200 seizures per day, having suffered her first seizure just days before her third birthday.
The five-year-old now sadly holds the record of 187 in just one day, as parents James, 40, and Lauren, 32, were led to believe that her condition was an infection at first.
Sadly, after trying numerous medications, genetic testing results revealed that Holly had CLN2 Battens Disease, a degenerative condition which can shorten lifespan.
Holly suffers with a rare form of childhood dementia (SWNS)
James, who’s Holly’s full-time carer, said that “your world just stops” while being told the news, as he explained, “Having never heard of it or knowing anything about it, the immediate questions were is it life limiting, is it life shortening, what kind of impact does this have.
The doctor said yes to both. He explained that ultimately, without treatment, life expectancy is between five and eight years old.”
Describing his daughter as a “really cheeky, happy little girl”, the Colchester-based dad said, “As much as the seizures and disease try to slow her down, if she wants to get somewhere she will drag us by the hand and get us there.”
Eventually, Holly will lose her sight, speech, and mobility, with most untreated children requiring a feeding tube by six-years-old.
He recalled that she was “developing well” and started walking early, as they only started to worry when the seizures started to happen.
“She had passed all her health checks and her GP appointments were all normal until she had the genetic testing,” he recalled.
“They investigated an infection and then epilepsy but the epilepsy nurses were sure it was something more.”
The family were told of her diagnosis of CLN2 Battens Disease, a type of childhood dementia, on March 26, 2024, as James recalled Holly being a “very active” five-year-old, who enjoyed trips to the zoo.
She has a mental age of between 12 to 18 months, though she still goes to school five days a week but James says there are days where “she's not coping well”.
“Some days her speech and communication is good and others the staff at the school will use picture flashcards,” he pointed out.
The parents have chosen the treatment route for Holly and while it isn’t a cure, it will slow down their daughter’s loss of basic skills and allow her to live up to her late teens.
This includes a brain surgery to implant a port into the blood vessels, as Holly must visit Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) every two weeks to receive a four-hour brain infusion.
Holly has to undergo bi-weekly treatment to slow down the effects of her condition (SWNS)
Known as “The Holly” and “Holly the Dinosaur Princess” at both Colchester Hospital and GOSH, she has been undergoing these treatments since April 2024.
The treatments are administered through the NHS with an access agreement between NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and BioMarin, a drug company which created the Brineura enzyme replacement therapy treatment.
Clinical trials of this drug have been ongoing, with NICE set to evaluate if it could be recommended for children with the CLN2 gene.
Holly isn’t the only child undergoing the treatment in the clinical trial, though NICE said in August 2024 that they wouldn't recommend Brineura for children once the initial agreement ends, backing its point up with the drug's annual price of £500,000 per child and limited evidence of long-term effectiveness.
This agreement is set to run until the end of June, as James claimed that for the majority of children the drug stopped seizures altogether, or at most just one per month.
James, who is also father to 18-month-old Poppy, has urged the government to secure the future security of the drug, saying: "These children deserve a life and they deserve a life which keeps as many of their skills and functions for as long as possible.
“This drug is the only one in the world that can do that.”
Physicians Are Not Providers: New ACP Paper Says Names in Health Care Have Ethical Significance
The term ‘provider’ is detrimental to the patient-physician relationship and undermines physicians’ ethical obligations
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 10, 2026—A new ethics policy paper from the American College of Physicians (ACP) says the term ‘provider’ should not be used to describe physicians, and using the blanket term undermines physicians’ ethical responsibility, clinical integrity, and professionalism. Referring to physicians as providers reduces the patient-physician relationship to a transaction and does not recognize differences in roles, responsibilities, and training among health care professionals. “Physicians are not Providers: The Ethical Significance of Names in Health Care” is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Language in health care has ethical and practical implications and should uphold the ethics of the patient-physician relationship, which is fundamental to the practice of medicine. The words physician and provider are not interchangeable and using them synonymously also reflects the increasing commercialization of today's practice environment. ACP says that the current use of the word provider in reference to institutions, insurers, and health care professionals lumps impersonal entities with humans and is not transparent to patients.
"The term provider is derogatory because it diminishes the physician-patient relationship. Physicians are not providers, they are confidants, health advocates, and partners with patients, especially in times of medical need, bound by deep and longstanding ethical responsibilities,” said Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, President, ACP. “And patients are not merely consumers. They are individuals with dignity and unique needs. This paper serves as an important reminder that words have meaning and should be used carefully and thoughtfully."
ACP also recommends that professionals with varied credentials who care for patients should be referred to as clinicians or health care professionals, not providers. The paper was developed by the ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee.
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 162,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram,Threads, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our new RSS Feed.
Louisa Ahlqvist
Public Relations Associate
American College of Physicians
LAhlqvist@acponline.org
Enabling technology in managed LTSS: A new whitepaper on barriers and solutions
February 9, 2026
Across the country, the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS) is growing while direct care workforce shortages, state budget constraints and system complexities challenge person-centered, sustainable care delivery. As more individuals seek to age in place or live independently in their communities, states and managed care organizations are being asked to do more with fewer resources, without compromising quality, safety or choice.1
Enabling technologies (ET) are increasingly seen as part of the solution. ET includes devices and technologies that help people with disabilities and older adults meet their needs in their own homes. Tools such as remote supports, wearable health devices and assistive technologies can help individuals maintain independence, support family caregivers and extend the reach of an already stretched direct care workforce.
Yet despite rapid innovation, ET adoption has been uneven. Policy barriers, fragmented guidance and misaligned payment models have made it difficult to scale the most effective technologies in a consistent way across managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs.
Advancing policy and practice through collaboration
In 2024, UnitedHealthcare Community & State joined the National MLTSS Health Plan Association (“MTLSS Association”) to collaborate with other Medicaid managed care organizations on improving how LTSS is delivered nationwide. Together, participating plans are working to advance policy recommendations and best practices that expand access to home- and community-based services (HCBS), support community living and improve outcomes for the members they serve.
Throughout 2025, the MLTSS Association brought together a workgroup of health plan leaders and technology collaborators to examine how ET can be more effectively integrated into MLTSS programs. The group explored the rapid evolution of these tools, particularly during the COVID-19 public health emergency, when states, plans and providers needed to move quickly to deploy technology to meet urgent medical and social needs.
As the sector moves beyond the public health emergency, workgroup participants agreed that sustaining the most beneficial technologies will require greater alignment across policy, operations, data and payment. Without clear guidance and consistent evaluation criteria, many plans and providers continue to face administrative hurdles that slow adoption and limit access for members who could benefit most.
Identifying barriers and pathways forward
Insights from this work informed the recently released whitepaper, “Unlocking the value of enabling technology in managed LTSS.” Developed in collaboration with UnitedHealthcare Community & State and other MLTSS Association members, the paper identifies key barriers to broader adoption of ET across MLTSS programs, along with practical opportunities to address them.
The recommendations outline specific roles for federal policymakers, state agencies, managed care organizations, service providers and technology vendors. They also emphasize the importance of person-centered approaches that give members greater voice in how they are supported and how technology fits into their daily lives.
In addition to policy and programmatic recommendations, the whitepaper highlights early examples of how managed care plans’ investments in ET are already contributing to improved outcomes, greater independence and enhanced member experience. A multi-state landscape assessment further illustrates how current policies, benefits and funding structures vary across Medicaid-funded HCBS programs, highlighting the need for clearer pathways to scale what works.
As demand for LTSS continues to grow, ET will play an increasingly important role in strengthening the MLTSS system. Through work with the MLTSS Association and other collaborators, UnitedHealthcare Community & State is committed to helping advance thoughtful, practical solutions that support members, caregivers and providers alike.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Programs in Health Care Institutions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Deena Fremont, MSc1; Amos Buh, PhD1,2; Claire Hoar-Stephens, BSc1,2 et al
JAMA Network Open
Published Online: February 4, 2026
Key Points
Question: What outcomes are associated with equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) interventions in health care institutions?
Findings
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 studies involving more than 15 000 individuals, predominantly from the US, a wide range of EDI interventions were successful and perceived as beneficial in increasing diversity in health care. Furthermore, the meta-analysis of 2 studies demonstrated increased minority representation in competitive medical residencies following program implementation.
Meaning
A broad range of EDI initiatives were associated with increased workforce diversity in health care institutions.
Abstract
Importance
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives are politically polarizing and increasingly adopted in the health care setting. Their broader impact across different health care career types, career stages, and various levels of education remains largely unknown.
Objective
To assess EDI programs and their associated outcomes within health care institutions.
Data Sources
A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020–compliant systematic review searching PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases from January 2010 to December 2023.
Study Selection
Two independent reviewers screened studies that assessed EDI programs or policies in health care institutions.
Data Extraction and Synthesis
Programs were categorized based on reported outcomes, including participant satisfaction, increased awareness of EDI-related topics, increases in the proportion of underrepresented minority individuals within medical education or the health care workforce, and overall program impact. Odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using a random-effects model. Analyses followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines. Analysis was conducted June 2025.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Outcome measures included the proportion of diversity among the workforce, employee and patient satisfaction, and the proportion of employees recruited and retained after program implementation.
Results
In total, 43 studies incorporating more than 15 000 individuals involved in EDI programs were included. Interventions were multifaceted, including 14 career advancement and training programs, 16 diversity representation programs, 11 academia and research support initiatives, and the growth of 2 pipeline programs. Furthermore, interventions demonstrated consistent improvement in EDI initiatives, with perceived benefit in promoting underrepresented minority populations. Findings from the meta-analysis of 2 studies showed that minority representation in competitive medical residencies increased after implementation of 2 EDI interventions (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.21-2.47). Among the 43 studies included in the Joanna Briggs Institute assessment of methodological quality, 7 (16.3%) were rated as high quality, 20 (46.5%) as moderate quality, and 16 (37.2%) as low quality.
Conclusions and Relevance
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of EDI initiatives in health care institutions, programs were associated with an increased workforce diversity. These findings support the continued use of EDI initiatives to promote a more inclusive and equitable health care culture.
Experts debate optimal work‑up and management of idiopathic acute pancreatitis in a young woman
This “Beyond the Guidelines” feature is based on a discussion held at the Medical Grand Rounds conference on 18 September 2025.
In a new Annals “Beyond the Guidelines” feature, two pancreatologists and coauthors of the 2024 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) guideline on acute pancreatitis discuss diagnostic uncertainties, invasive interventions, and the role of genetic testing in the management of idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP). IAP accounts for approximately 18% of acute pancreatitis cases and presents clinicians with challenges around work‑up, recurrence prevention, and the selective use of cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Given the wide heterogeneity in available evidence and inconsistent guideline recommendations, the question “How would you manage a young patient with idiopathic acute pancreatitis?” remains an important clinical question.
They reviewed the case of Ms. P, a 29‑year‑old woman with iron deficiency anemia who experienced abdominal pain, elevated lipase, and imaging consistent with acute pancreatitis without necrosis. Ultrasounds and lab testing showed no gallstones, microlithiasis, sludge, pancreas divisum, or metabolic causes. After a short hospitalization and stabilization on a low‑fat diet, she was discharged, though questions remained about recurrence risk, the role of genetic testing, and whether preventive interventions such as cholecystectomy or ERCP should be pursued.
The first discussant, Santhi Swaroop Vege, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a member of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Vege emphasizes that thorough evaluation for biliary disease is essential before labeling a case “idiopathic,” noting that biliary disease accounts for 42% of pancreatitis worldwide and is often under‑detected with initial imaging. He highlights the role of genetic testing as a means of clarifying disease pathogenesis and determining whether invasive procedures may be useful in certain patients. Given the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and studies suggesting reduced recurrence after surgery, he generally recommends cholecystectomy for IAP once genetic causes are excluded. For Ms. P, he recommends genetic testing followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy if results are negative.
The second discussant, Sunil G. Sheth, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Sheth also supports discussion of genetic testing, noting that identifying pathogenic variants can guide counseling, refine prognosis, and prevent misdiagnosis. However, he is more cautious about empirical cholecystectomy. He argues that trials supporting surgery often included patients who did not undergo the full recommended diagnostic evaluation and likely captured individuals with occult biliary disease rather than true IAP. For Ms. P, he advises genetic testing but recommends neither cholecystectomy nor ERCP without a demonstrable biliary or anatomical cause.
All “Beyond the Guidelines” features are based on selected clinical conferences at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and include multimedia components published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact one of the discussants, please email Kendra McKinnon at kmckinn1@bidmc.harvard.edu.
ACP issues final update to its rapid practice points on antiviral treatment of COVID-19 in outpatient settings
The American College of Physicians’ (ACP) issued its final update of living, rapid practice points on antiviral treatment for COVID‑19 in outpatient settings. Using evidence from an updated rapid review focused on the Omicron variant, ACP reaffirms its earlier guidance for treating symptomatic, confirmed COVID‑19 in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. The update is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The recommendations emphasize that nirmatrelvir–ritonavir and molnupiravir may be used for high‑risk patients with mild to moderate COVID‑19 if started within five days of symptom onset. ACP advises against using ivermectin or sotrovimab, as evidence does not support their benefit in the outpatient setting. Because recent updates and ongoing surveillance have not produced meaningful changes to these recommendations, ACP is retiring this topic from its “living” status, meaning it will no longer be continuously updated.
Related Evidence Reviews:
Outpatient Treatment of Confirmed COVID-19: A Living Rapid Review for the American College of Physicians (Version 3) Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-03691
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To speak with someone at ACP, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.
Autism Incidence in Girls and Boys May Be Nearly Equal, Study Suggests — Swedish research raises questions about why girls are diagnosed later
by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today
February 4, 2026
Key Takeaways
New research challenged the longstanding belief that autism is much more common in males versus females.
In a Swedish study of 2.7 million people, male-to-female ratios in autism diagnoses were nearly equal by age 20.
Diagnosis rates peaked earlier for males, but females experienced a significant catch-up in adolescence.
A large longitudinal study challenged longstanding assumptions about the incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in boys and girls.
Among 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2022 and followed from birth up to age 37, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism at a mean age of 14.3 years, reported Caroline Fyfe, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Solna, and co-authors.
Diagnosis rates increased steadily throughout childhood, peaking at 645.5 per 100,000 person-years for males ages 10-14 and 602.6 per 100,000 person-years for females ages 15-19, the researchers wrote in The BMJ.
While the incidence of ASD was higher among males during early childhood, a marked female catch-up pattern was noted during adolescence, leading to a nearly 1:1 male-to-female diagnosis ratio by age 20.
“These findings indicate that the male-to-female ratio for autism has decreased over time and with increasing age at diagnosis. This male-to-female ratio may therefore be substantially lower than previously thought, to the extent that, in Sweden, it may no longer be distinguishable by adulthood,” Fyfe and colleagues wrote.
“These observations highlight the need to investigate why female individuals receive diagnoses later than male individuals,” they added.
Historically, autism has been considered a condition predominantly diagnosed in males, with a reported male-to-female diagnosis ratio of approximately 4:1. The most recent U.S. report, based on data from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) network, showed that autism prevalence among 8-year-old children was 3.4 times higher in boys than in girls.
Higher male-to-female ratios have been ascribed to gender differences in social and communication skills, potentially delaying recognition in females, among other factors, Fyfe and colleagues said.
The findings in Sweden are not surprising, noted Diana Schendel, PhD, of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in Philadelphia, who wasn't involved with the study.
“We’ve seen that same kind of pattern, in terms of age-specific rates between males and females, in Denmark -- another Scandinavian country with large national registries where you can track the whole country over time,” Schendel told MedPage Today.
There isn't any large longitudinal U.S. analysis similar to the Swedish study, she said. In the ADDM network, “we only have 4-year-olds and 8-year-olds,” she pointed out. To detect the kind of changes seen in Sweden, “you have to follow individuals into adolescence or adulthood.”
But even among children, male-to-female ratios can vary, Schendel added. “The sex ratio varies from site to site across the ADDM network ... in 8-year-olds, it varies enormously,” she said.
“The fact that you see these huge differences in the sex ratio across different areas of the United States indicates there are a lot of local factors going on that impact who’s being referred, and who's being diagnosed and reported with autism,” Schendel observed.
The findings in Sweden support the argument that current practices may be failing to recognize autism in females until later in life, noted Anne Cary of Boulder, Colorado, a patient and patient advocate, in an accompanying editorial.
“The harms of underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of autism in women -- harms that are infrequently reported in medical research but are often discussed in the autistic community -- extend beyond barriers to appropriate interventions, supports, and accommodations afforded to correctly diagnosed autism in women,” Cary wrote.
Some females are “likely to be (mis)diagnosed with psychiatric conditions, especially mood and personality disorders, and they are forced to self-advocate to be seen and treated appropriately: as autistic patients, just as autistic as their male counterparts,” she concluded.
Fyfe and colleagues conducted a population-based, prospectively collected birth cohort study to investigate the influence of age at diagnosis, calendar period, and birth cohort on male-to-female ratios in autism diagnoses. Age-specific incidence of autism increased for each calendar period and birth cohort between 1985 and 2020.
Autism diagnoses were based on ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes in national patient records. The process for diagnosing autism in Sweden evolved over the course of the study period in line with changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
The study had several limitations, the researchers acknowledged. It did not address other conditions associated with autism, such as intellectual disability or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“We also did not consider potential modifiers of the male-to-female ratio, such as preterm birth,” they noted. “These conditions and variables require specific studies that were beyond the scope of our current research.”
Judy George covers neurology and neuroscience news for MedPage Today, writing about brain aging, Alzheimer’s, dementia, MS, rare diseases, epilepsy, autism, headache, stroke, Parkinson’s, ALS, concussion, CTE, sleep, pain, and more.