Translating Research to Practice

What is now referred to as autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943 and for many years remained a rare disorder. Autism can no longer be considered a rare disorder; current prevalence estimates recently released by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest greater than 1 % of children (1 of every 88 children to be specific) have an autism spectrum disorder. Much of this increase has been attributed to better recognition of the condition and the inclusion of the four related pervasive developmental disorders (i.e., Asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified [PDDNOS], Rett’s disorder, and childhood disintegrative disorder) in the most recent diagnostic taxonomies. Regardless of the underlying causes of this increase, there is a real effect of the increasing prevalence; there are now more people diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder than ever before. As such, a greater number of families, schools, and communities must identify and care for these individuals. Fortunately, major advances in our knowledge of autism and its related disorders have been made. This increase in knowledge is evidenced by the increase in publications on autism in the past decade. A PubMed search of ‘‘autism’’ shows there were 426 publications in 2000, increasing to 2,404 publications in 2011, a greater than a five-fold increase. In the same period, the amount of resources being dedicated to autism research has also increased dramatically. While this increased emphasis and attention are creating a wealth of new information, keeping up with the latest and most relevant information is a daunting task for academics and researchers, and likely a near impossibility for practitioners and families. In fact, to read each of the 2,400 publications on autism in 2011 alone, one would need to read an average of 6.5 articles per day. Thus, the proverbial research to practice gap is likely growing larger, leaving practicing practitioners on the frontlines with a need for knowledge of how best to treat and care for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. This special section of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders strives to bridge at least part of the research to practice gap by providing articles that aim to translate the most current research knowledge into meaningful recommendations accessible to practitioners and parents alike. As such, the intended audience is the practitioners (teachers, related service providers, pediatricians, community service providers, mental health workers, psychiatric practitioners, etc.) and parents directly working with or caring for individuals who have or are suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder. In preparing this special section, each author was specifically asked to keep this intended audience in mind; not an easy task mind you, but one in which the authors excelled. In writing for a more general audience, regular readers of this journal might find the articles in this special section to have a slightly different tone than regular articles; this should not be taken as an indication that the high quality standards of this journal were not adhered to—each article included in the special section was peer-reviewed prior to acceptance, just as other articles that are published in this journal. The special section can roughly be divided into three themes. The first theme contains four papers centered around screening, early detection, and assessment. Since it is strongly thought that early identification leading to proper assessment providing evidence of where best to begin early intervention will provide the greatest opportunity for children to achieve best outcome, identifying B. Reichow (&) Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520, USA e-mail: brian.reichow@yale.edu