Management of autism in the adult intensive care unit.

Autism comprises a growing segment of the population and can be a management challenge in the intensive care unit (ICU). We present the case of a 22-year-old male with severe autism and intellectual disorder who developed respiratory failure and required a prolonged ICU course. This patient exhibited severe distress, aggression, and self-injurious behavior.

Improved access to mental health evaluation for patients with developmental disabilities using telepsychiatry.

The Cedars-Sinai Telepsychiatry Clinic uses a collaborative-care model to treat patients with developmental disabilities. We examined its practice in four areas: patient characteristics, clinical care, symptom severity and diagnostic outcomes to describe the care provided and the population seen in the telepsychiatry clinic. In a chart review, 45 out of 126 cases were selected and evaluated at three times: initial evaluation, year one and year three.

Telepsychiatry for children with developmental disabilities: applications for patient care and medical education.

Telemedicine is able to provide specialized care to rural patients with limited access. The developmentally disabled population is highly suited to this modality and can be seen in general and specialized clinics. The collaborative care model, which is useful for this population, provides ongoing collaboration with both the local primary care provider and the local treatment team.

Training psychiatric residents and fellows in a telepsychiatry clinic: a supervision model.

Objectives: The authors assess the effectiveness of a specialized telepsychiatry training and supervision training model.

Methods: Fifteen residents and eight child fellows rotated through Cedars Sinai Medical Center Telepsychiatry Developmental Disability Clinic and completed questionnaires of knowledge and self-assessed skills at commencement and completion of the rotation. The supervision was on site, side-by-side, and directive.

Clinical and behavioral features of patients with Borjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome with mutations in PHF6.

Objective: To describe clinical and behavioral features of 10 men from 2 families with Borjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome (BFLS) and missense mutations in the PHF6 zinc-finger transcription factor gene.

Study Design: BFLS behavioral features were compared with other age-matched men with other syndromes and similar intellectual functioning through the use of standardized questionnaires: the Child Behavior Checklist, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and the Reiss Personality Profile. Participants included 10 with BFLS, 10 with Prader-Willi syndrome, and 23 with Klinefelter syndrome variants (13 with 48,XXYY, 4 with 48,XXXY, and 6 with 49,XXXXY).