About this Course

This course is comprised of seven cases designed by teams of practicing developmental-behavioral pediatric fellows and faculty. The cases are divided into 3 modules that address fundamental components of identifying, diagnosing, and managing autism spectrum disorder. 

Course Goal

After completing all three modules, users will be able to:

1. Describe cognitive, language, motor, social, and emotional components of typical and atypical child behavior and development,
2. Identify the diagnostic process and best practices for supporting a family through screening and diagnosis, and
3. Identify early intervention approaches and clinical management strategies for children with autism spectrum disorders

Who Should Take this Course?

This introductory course was developed for pediatric health care providers.

Curriculum Development

Course content comes from the Autism Case Training (ACT): A Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Curriculum. This was written by developmental-behavioral faculty and fellows from 10 Maternal and Child Health Bureau Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Training Programs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has undergone external review by peers and field validation.

Editors: Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH and Catherine Rice, Ph.D, CDC; Carol Weitzman, MD, Yale University; Jana Thomas, MPA, Wendy Ruben, MS, and Patrick Mahoney, MPH Porter Novelli; Julia Whitney, BS and Jennifer Zubler, MD, Carter Consulting, Inc.

Contact Information

Dr. Jennifer Zubler: Wyv4@cdc.gov

Curriculum Copyright

The case studies are not copyrighted. The course materials can be duplicated and used freely as long as the source is credited. Please use the following statement of attribution:

• Autism Case Training (ACT) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
• The following course was developed by the authors in partnership with Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau. It does not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).