Pediatrics

Autism prevalence surveillance: a reckoning, not a crisis

Conditions

November 26, 2025

A recent Wall Street Journal graphic traces the rise in autism prevalence among eight-year-olds from 2000 to 2020. The slope is unmistakable, upward, steady, and steep. But it’s not a crisis. It’s a reckoning.

Each inflection point on that chart marks a milestone in institutional clarity:

2000: The CDC begins formal autism surveillance.
2007: The American Academy of Pediatrics urges universal screening at …
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Autism prevalence surveillance: a reckoning, not a crisis

Pediatric leadership silence on FDA ADHD recall

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Conditions

November 24, 2025

“The FDA has issued a nationwide recall of lisdexamfetamine capsules.”

That sentence in Newsweek magazine should have triggered alerts, guidance, and coordinated response. Instead, the silence from pediatric leadership has been deafening. Newsweek turned to the FDA and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Where are the leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics? Silent. Why?

The recall that should have sparked action

In …

The ethics of mandatory Tay-Sachs testing

Sheryl J. Nicholson

Conditions

November 23, 2025

Introduction

Tay-Sachs disease is a devastating genetic disorder that primarily affects individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, though it is also found among Cajuns in Louisiana and French-Canadians. This fatal condition typically manifests within the first six months of life and leads to progressive neurological deterioration, often resulting in death by age five. As medical science advances, the question arises: Should genetic testing for Tay-Sachs be mandatory for all individuals of reproductive …

Why I became a pediatrician: a doctor’s story

Jamie S. Hutton, MD

Physician

November 23, 2025

One of the first questions you’re asked when applying to medical school is: Why do you want to be a doctor? For most, the answer is some version of “I want to help people.” But for me, that was never the real question. It was always “Why do you want to be a pediatrician?”

I’ve known since I was very young that I wanted to work with children. I’ve always loved …

Why toys matter in the exam room

Diego R. Hijano, MD

Conditions

November 23, 2025

Children often surprise us with the seriousness they bring to a clinic visit. Every so often, when the room feels tense, I turn to a simple question and ask what their favorite toy is. Caregivers smile, and children lean forward with the kind of excitement that only play can spark. In a moment, the atmosphere changes. The room feels lighter, the conversation easier, and the visit begins to unfold with …

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Why toys matter in the exam room

New autism treatment guidelines expand options for families

Carrie Friedman, NP

Conditions

November 22, 2025

When the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry released its October 2025 policy statement expanding what counts as valid, evidence-supported autism treatment, it marked a turning point that has been needed for years. For more than a decade, insurance companies pushed a narrow, outdated narrative that applied behavior analysis was the only evidence-based intervention for autism. That narrative was not accurate. It shaped policy, and it left families with …

Interdisciplinary medicine: lessons from the cockpit

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

November 19, 2025

In aviation, the right seat is typically reserved for the instructor. In medicine, it’s the role of the diagnostician, the mentor, the gatekeeper. I once piloted a T-37B “Tweet” trainer from the right seat, not as a student, but as someone trusted to guide. That experience shaped how I approach clinical decision-making, interdisciplinary fluency, and the choreography of care.

During a military training program, our squad faced a simulated obstacle: an …

Why the media ignores healing and science

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

November 17, 2025

I recently published a reflection on KevinMD, “A doctor’s duty on 9/11 in a small town,” a piece about clinical duty, quiet advocacy, and legacy. Boston University included it in my nomination for their Advocacy, Equity & Social Justice Alumni Award. I sent it to every major news outlet in my region. No one responded. One station asked if I’d go on camera. I agreed. Then, silence. This is …

A new autism care model in Idaho

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Conditions

November 15, 2025

Idaho has become the first state to end Medicaid funding for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. This marks a shift away from concerns about inflated billing and variable outcome metrics toward a model focused on measurable and inclusive care. As a pediatrician who participated in NIMH-RUPP trials and has observed the clinical evolution of ABA, I recognize the significance of Idaho’s decision. The state acted proactively rather than awaiting federal …

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A new autism care model in Idaho

The problem with the 15-minute doctor appointment

Mick Connors, MD

Physician

November 12, 2025

You arrive on time: 8:20 a.m. for your 8:30 appointment. You’ve done your part; you showed up early, brought your insurance card, and maybe even filled out the forms online. You expect to see your doctor at 8:30. After all, that’s what the schedule says. But the clock, like the system, runs on its own rules. At 8:35, you’re still at the front desk. They’re scanning your card, verifying your …

The flaws in the new child health report

Edward Hoffer, MD

Physician

November 9, 2025

The Trump administration recently released a long-promised report decrying the sorry state of the health of American children and saying how it planned to change this.

They correctly begin by noting that “Despite outspending peer nations by more than double per capita on health care, the United States ranks last in life expectancy among high-income countries and suffers higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.” Unfortunately, they then largely focus …

The need for pediatric respite care

Kathleen Muldoon, PhD

Conditions

November 8, 2025

My son Gideon is almost 12 years old. He is funny in that sharp, unexpected way that catches you off-guard. He is deeply expressive and full of life. He gives love and joy more freely than most kids his age. He is curious and social. He is healthy, and I am grateful for it. We are endlessly proud of who he is.

And, our family constantly walks the edge of breaking …

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The need for pediatric respite care

A better way to talk about kids’ nutrition

V. Sushma Chamarthi, MD

Conditions

November 8, 2025

When parents bring their children to the clinic, they often expect quick advice: “Eat healthy. Exercise more.” But after years in practice, I’ve learned those generic prescriptions rarely work. Families leave feeling uncertain, children feel pressured, and real changes at home are hard to sustain.

That’s why I focus on a family-centered, personalized approach. Nutrition is not just about a child; it’s about routines, traditions, and stresses that affect the whole …

A pediatrician’s reckoning with behavior therapy

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

November 7, 2025

For decades, I practiced developmental-behavioral pediatrics with a focus on coordinated care, measurable goals, and clinical accountability. I believed that if we could define a child’s needs clearly and track progress with integrity, we could build systems that honored both science and dignity.

But I now realize I missed something critical.

After reviewing the #BanABA initiative and speaking with Dr. Henny Kupferstein, I’ve come to understand the full scope of harm linked …

The collapse of developmental pediatrics

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

November 7, 2025

The terrain I refused to leave

At Madigan Army Medical Center, I built a diagnostic model that delivered autism answers in under 30 minutes. No shortcuts, just smarter care. A Ph.D. pediatric nurse practitioner performed triage. I conducted the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers (STAT-MD), a targeted autism screening protocol developed at Vanderbilt, confirmed criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and families left …

What is professional inertia in medicine?

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

November 4, 2025

I learned that in a rural exam room where four agencies circled a child with autism; and no one moved. Not the nurse. Not the case manager. Not the system. The child failed the Autism Screening Test. He was nonverbal, avoided eye contact, even with his parents, and flapped his hands while playing with toys in unusual ways. The signs were classic. The diagnosis was clear. I spoke the “A” …

How misinformation endangers our progress against preventable diseases [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 3, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Emergency physician Drew Remignanti discusses his article “A world without vaccines: What history teaches us about public health.” In this conversation, Drew reflects on historical lessons from smallpox, polio, and measles to …

The crisis in modern autism diagnosis

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Conditions

November 2, 2025

Autism was never meant to be diagnosed in 15 minutes.

The original vision, born in war-torn Vienna and postwar Baltimore, called for deep observation, multidisciplinary insight, and time. But somewhere between the ideal and the insurance code, we lost the standard.

Today, families navigate a system built for speed, not truth. And children pay the price.

The ideal vs. reality

In theory, pediatricians perform routine developmental surveillance. Screenings like the M-CHAT happen at 18 …

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The crisis in modern autism diagnosis

The childhood risk we never talk about

Bronwen Carroll, MD

Conditions

November 1, 2025

Parents are inundated with advice and guidance on all manner of topics from an array of sources, but as a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I have been astonished to realize that parents hear almost nothing about the risk that actually poses the greatest threat of causing serious harm to their children. Approximately 10 percent of children in the United States experience sexual abuse, with one in four girls and somewhere …

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The childhood risk we never talk about

The dismantling of public health infrastructure

Ronald L. Lindsay, MD

Physician

October 31, 2025

Florida has seen over 1,300 pertussis cases this year, an 81 percent increase from 2024. I didn’t speak as a retired pediatrician. I spoke as a witness: a witness to systems retreat, a witness to the dismantling of public health, and a witness to the consequences of ignoring coordinated care.

The numbers are staggering. Over 1,500 confirmed measles cases in 2025. Three deaths, the first measles-related fatalities in the U.S. in …