Category: Children and adolescent development and health

Doctor bloggers you need to know

Doctor bloggers-from food to freud to finances- they write about it; meet them here #WhiteCostPinkApron#FreudandFashion#DrLinda#2pedsinapod#alertandoriented

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In a previous series, I recommended several physician-written health blogs. In this post, I revisit some of those sites and introduce you to a few more I have discovered.

White Coat Pink Apron– good food for busy people

White Coat, Pink Apron web site

Dr. Diana, a Boston allergy specialist, blogs about food and shares recipes that are

“quick, easy, generally toddler-friendly, and sometimes Armenian, that anyone can make.”

In this post she shares two recipes for fish, salmon and cod, that adhere to the Paleo concept- no grains ,no beans, no dairy, and no sugar.

LEMON ROASTED SALMON AND KALE

dinner plate with fish, green beans and rice
illustration only, not actual recipe

Alert and Oriented.com

Dr. Michel Accad continues to blog about health care policies and economics, the doctor-patient relationship, and medical history, philosophy, and ethics.

According to Dr. Accad, human health is uninsurable; our bodies are not machines so cannot be evaluated objectively. He argues that health insurance is an income subsidy that helps sick people pay for medical care. In this thought provoking post, he explains why

Health insurance is not insurance

He has also published a book,

Moving Mountains: A Socratic Challenge to the Theory and Practice of Population Medicine

“This book will be of great interest to any reader concerned about healthcare. It will be of particular appeal to medical and public health students, as well as to healthcare professionals, including academics open to a challenging perspective.” Amazon

2 peds in a pod– (peds meaning pediatricians)

Practical pediatrics for parents on the go

Dr. Julie Kardos and Dr. Naline Lai practice pediatrics together and co-author this blog about infant, child, and adolescent  health issues. Including  “Essentials of Life- eat, sleep, drink, pee, poop, love”

Here they explain how to read food packaging labels accurately.

Deception in Packaging: Navigating the Nutrition Information Highway

Family of 4 sitting at a dining table.
Read food packing labels carefully to create nutritious meals.

Freud and Fashion

by psychiatrist Vania Manipod, DO

…BECAUSE IT’S STYLISH TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, ESPECIALLY HOW WE MAINTAIN OUR OWN.

sketch of clothes, shoes, pants
because it’s fashionable to talk about mental health

Dr. Manipod is active on several social media sites as well as her blog. As a psychiatrist, she focuses on mental health, for both patients and other physicians.

She offers Advice on How To Cope With Burnout,  advice she tries to take herself.

And in an interview post she discusses

how a New York woman fights the stigma of mental illness

Dr.Linda-

Just a family doctor speaking up from the frontlines of medicine

Dr. Linda Girgis, M.D. has published a  fiction book, Pandemic Rising

Pandemic RISING- a book

“The year is 2025 and there is a war of worlds in full swing: pathogens versus humanity. In the antibiotic-resistance era, people are living in a petri dish of toxic microbes. Unfortunately, humanity lost its most powerful weapons, antibiotics, when previous generations of doctors prescribed them indiscriminately. Additionally, the efficacy of vaccines waned when people refused these fortresses based on mythological beliefs. Across the globe, tens of thousands are dying while scientists and doctors race to find a cure and vaccine for these super-bugs. Will the medical community of scientists and doctors succeed in developing new ammunition? Or will humanity die off in the battle against the new world order of infectious diseases and pandemics?” Amazon

On her blog, she shares a poignant story about a terminally ill patient with an unshakable will to live in this post-

A Lesson a Patient Taught Me about Defying Death 

angel statue in a cemetery
photo source- Lightstock.com

Please visit at least one of these doctor bloggers, and leave them a comment. They will appreciate  the support and you may learn something new.

Previous posts about  doctor bloggers

10 health blogs you should read- a pair of docs and more

10 health blogs you should read- a family (doc) reunion

10 health blogs you should read- blogs by docs

10 health blogs you should read- 3 blogs by 3 docs

Why Autism Diagnoses Have Increased

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the U.S. is currently estimated at 1 in 36 children. Factors contributing to this increase include heightened awareness and changes in diagnostic criteria. The article stresses the importance of accurate identification and early screening, which may lead to more effective care and support for individuals with autism.

updated December 22, 2025

This information is current as of the date of original publication or update. It may have changed by the time you read this. I invite you to fact-check what you read here.

Please do not use this information for diagnosis or treatment purposes. Before making health decisions, discuss with your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

Like other physicians and families of people with autism, I puzzle over the increased number of children and adults diagnosed with autism. And most all of us have theories about why we now believe 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorders.

People point out that “when they were children” they never knew of anyone with autism. Some are convinced that the increase of autism followed the introduction of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, MMR.

Others implicate genetics, environmental toxins, diet, and intrauterine brain trauma. In 2025, then Secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy Jr. announced that the “cause” of autism is Tylenol (generic acetaminophen), which President Donald Trump announced in a press conference. No definitive proof was provided and later the claim was softened.

Autism Prevalence in the United States Explained

“The bulk of the increase (in autism rates) stems from a growing awareness of autism and changes to the condition’s diagnostic criteria.”

This article (updated in 2020) was published in Spectrum whose commitment is “to provide accurate and objective coverage of autism research.” Spectrum is funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. Senior News Writer Jessica Wright, Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University, wrote the report. (Scientific American also published the article by permission.)

A diverse group of children smiling as they stand closely together in a circle staring downward. Text overlay reads, “cdc dot gov slash Autism.”
This , @CDC_NCBDDD encourages awareness, inclusion, and connection to support services and one another. Learn more about our work in understanding in children:

Identifying Autism

Let’s consider some terminology. Prevalence is an estimate of how common a disease or condition is in a particular population of people at any given time.

So the prevalence of autism in children would be

the number of children identified as autistic at any given time

divided by the total number of children alive at that time.

The currently accepted rate of autism is 1 in 36 children.

Autism prevalence depends on children being correctly identified as autistic. At any given time, some autistic children may not be identified, and some may be  incorrectly identified.

We do not have any totally objective tests available for autism yet. There is no blood test, scan, culture, imaging study, DNA test, or monitor to definitely conclude that autism is or is not present.

The definition of and criteria for autism have changed substantially since “infantile autism” was first identified by Leo Kanner over 70 years ago. Since 1980, the diagnosis is based on applying the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

In the most recent version, DSM-5, released in 2013, autism, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder, formerly separate, are now a single diagnosis.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by

  • Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts
  • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
  • Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (But may not yet be fully expressed or may be modified by learned behavior in later life)
  • Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
  • These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay.

Autism spectrum disorder DSM-5 diagnostic criteria: Full text

When the diagnostic criteria for other diseases we diagnose and manage changes, the prevalence also changed. Examples include diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraine, obesity, depression, even some cancers. So autism is not unique in this regard.

The currently accepted rate of autism, 1 in 36, comes from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network , established by the CDC in 2000. Children are identified by reviewing health and school records of 8-year-olds in selected counties. So possibly some children get missed, and some are assigned incorrectly.

Point of Reference: IDEA

Another major milestone in autism awareness occurred in 1991 when the U.S. Department of Education ruled that autistic children qualify for special education services. This ruling encouraged parents of children with developmental and intellectual disabilities to secure accurate diagnoses, to qualify for services they otherwise might not have access to.

AAP recommends screening

Since 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended routine screening of all children for autism at 18 and 24 months old. Many physicians, psychologists, and therapists believe early intervention improves these children’s chances to do well intellectually and socially.

If we could go back and review records of children 10, 20, or 30 years ago, and apply current diagnostic criteria, would we find less autism than we do today? Perhaps. But such records would likely reflect the understanding of autism at the time, so might still fail to recognize autism, even when present by today’s standards.

The apparent increased number of children with autism seems alarming-some call it an epidemic. It may represent our increased awareness, recognition, and knowledge about this disorder. And while this increase should raise concern, it can lead to increased research, treatment options, and more effective care for autistic persons.

Also on this Blog

Aching Joy- a book review

Jason Hague’s memoir “Aching Joy” explores faith, fatherhood, and autism through the lens of his son’s diagnosis. Despite initial denial and shaken faith, Hague finds solace in trusting a higher power. The book is a powerful journey through grief, hope, and ultimately, faith in the face of unexpected challenges.

Keep reading
a book cover- Aching Joy

A Different Way of Seeing Autism- a book review

“Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism” by Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP offers insights into understanding and living with autism. The book promotes a person-centered approach, emphasizing the importance of engaging, building self-esteem, and fostering joyful experiences for individuals with autism. Dr. Prizant advocates for working with their strengths rather than focusing on…

Keep reading
UNIQUELY HUMAN- A DIFFERENT WAY OF SEEING AUTISM, a book by Barry Prizant, Ph.D.

Exploring the HEART of Health

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