- How can a psychiatrist best support a child with autism?
- Best answer: decide if medications are necessary/administer the necessary dosage
- The other two answers can be applied to a psychologist or any toehr career of a like fashion. However, what sets psychiatry apart is the fact that this is the only mental health career that is allowed to administer medications. Because of this, a psychiatrist must have the utmost discretion and discernment when dealing with prescription drugs and the child. Therefore, it is the best and most unique answer.
2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
- I knew I wanted to focus on the medical field and that I had an interest in mental retardation. I did a few quick searches and discovered that MR is part of a category called Neurodevelopmental Disorders. I found that ASD was included. I chose autism as a focus because it is currently a popular disorder and I could incorporate psychiatry into it.
- Some potential answers I had to my EQ were advocating (which I got from a book called The Everyday Autism Advocate by Areva Martin Esq.) and recognizing the role of support (Shahin).
- My first solid answer stemmed from a flyer I found called Ten Toys that Speak to Autism: create a fun, sensory-friendly, and treatment-based environment. My second answer, extend therapy to the immediate family, began from a article called by Kate Miller-Wilson called The Impact of Autism on Families. My best and final answer mainly came from my 4th interview with Ariadnet Salcedo. She showed me that sometimes families don't want the child to be on medication and that the psychiatrist must decide if it's absolutely necessary for the child to be on pills.
3) What problems did you face and how did you resolve them?
- The science fair was a rocky start for me. I knew that all the project idea I had were graduate level work. Still, I compromised the focus of it to something I thought was doable. However, after months of reaching out to graduate professors, autism centers, and the like, I couldn't obtain the necessary help/ After receiving an extension I essentially dumbed down the experiment and got it done.
- Another problem I encountered was finding enough mentorship hours. The clinical psychologist I mentored with, Dr. B. John Shahin, was only able to give me up to one hour per week. After a while, I found a facility called the Parents' Place and was able to acquire above the necessary amount of hours.
4) What are your two most significant sources you used to answer your EQ and why?
- An article called "Medication for Autism" by the National Institute of Mental Health. This article detailed almost all medications used for autism and put them into specific categories. It was clear, concise, and comprehensive.
- A flyer/article called "Ten Toys That Speak to Autism". It was compiled by Autism Speaks, Toys R Us, and the National Lekotek Center. This flyer was important in that it opened the door to my second answer and it gave me insight to companies out there that do interesting things for autism.
5) What is your product and why?
- From this project, I developed a new skill. I was able to recognize significant detail that could change an outlook, diagnosis, or even treatment plan. I learned this specifically from my first Science Fair attempt and interactions I've had with psychiatrists. In the real world, these doctors get to the heart of the problem before attempting to treat it. This is for good reason because they have a heavy responsibility when using medications or misdiagnosing.
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