Clinical Perspectives on Autism and ADHD: Diagnosis, Treatment and Innovation

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

This activity consists of a recorded presentation from the "34th Annual National Conference" held in Minneapolis, Minn., May 13-15, 2025.

This activity will discuss a comprehensive overview of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that covers diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and common challenges. Despite the increasing number of diagnoses, these disorders are still often misunderstood or missed by HCPs. Current treatment approaches, including behavioral therapies, medications, and educational interventions will be discussed. Practical applications of these treatment strategies will be illustrated and innovative research and future directions in the field will be highlighted.

Provided by
This activity is provided by Optum Health Education.

Commercial support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of dietitians, dietetic technicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, PAs, physicians, psychologists, social workers and other health care professionals.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and common challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Identify current treatment options for ASD and ADHD, including behavioral therapies, medications and educational interventions.
  • Discuss practical treatment strategies and interventions, along with recent research findings and future directions in the field.
Activity summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ACPE - Pharmacists
  • 1.00 ACPE - Pharmacy Technicians
  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 APA - Psychologists
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CDR - Dietitians
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
Activity opens: 
07/25/2025
Activity expires: 
07/25/2028
Rating: 
0

Faculty
Gagan Joshi, MD
Clinical Investigator and Associate Professor
Mass General Research Institute;
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School;
Psychiatrist
Massachusetts General Hospital


About the presenter
Gagan Joshi, MD, is the director of the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Rovee Endowed Chair in child psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also associate professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Joshi trained in general psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently completed his fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the combined program of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He received training in cognitive-behavioral therapy at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute and Society.

Dr. Joshi has been the recipient of the prestigious Ethel Dupont Warren Fellowship Award through the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, the XXVth Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmalogicum Congress Young Investigators Award, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Pilot Research Award, and the Norma Fine Fellowship.

Dr. Joshi’s clinical and research interest is in intellectually capable autism, with a particular focus on the frequently associated psychopathologies. In addition to coordinating the Bressler Clinic and providing outpatient care to psychiatrically referred populations of all ages with autism, Dr. Joshi is facilitating translational clinical research in intellectually capable autism populations with psychopathology. At the Bressler program, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr. Joshi is conducting research focused on the clinical and neural characterization and psychopharmacotherapeutics of autism and related psychopathology with a particular emphasis on designing neuro-imaging-informed pharmacotherapy trials by leveraging state-of-the-art pharmaco-imaging techniques to help identify biomarkers of disease and treatment response. In collaboration with SPARK and MIT’s Broad Institute, they are developing the capability to collect genetic data to enhance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of intellectually capable autism with associated psychopathologies.

Dr. Joshi shares research updates and expertise in autism by offering lectures and supervision to trainees in the MGH Department of Psychiatry, and by organizing educational programs for mental health providers and for families of individuals with autism.

Planners
Elizabeth Albert, MD
Clinical Activity Manager
Optum Health Education

Sarah Chart, RN
Vice President
Optum Health Education

Sara Fleszar, PharmD, BCOP
Senior Clinical Pharmacist
Optum Health Solutions

Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
Optum Health Education

Lisa Latts, MD, MSPH, MBA, FACP
Chief Medical Officer
Optum Behavioral Health Solutions & Optum Health Solutions
Optum Health Clinical Excellence
Optum

Disclosures of relevant financial relationships
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's (ACCME) Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, Optum Health Education (OHE) requires all those in control of educational content to disclose their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. Ineligible companies are defined by the ACCME as companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients. Individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies and regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education. OHE ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Gagan Joshi, MD: Grant/Research Support or Funding for Genentech; Consultant for EuMentis Therapeutics; Other Financial or Material Support for MassGeneral Brigham Innovation

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated. 

The remaining planners have no financial relationships to disclose.

Method for calculating CE credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Accreditation statement
Joint Provider LogoIn support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Optum Health Education. Optum Health Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit designation statements

IPCE LogoThis activity was planned by and for the health care team, and learners will receive 1.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

 

Physicians
Optum Health Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PAs
The American Academy of PAs (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy technicians
This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hours (0.10 CEUs) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.00 contact hours (0.10 CEUs).
Unique activity number: JA0007123-0000-25-047-H01-P/T

Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 1.00 contact hours of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.

Nurse practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.

Dietitians 
Completion of this RD/DTR profession-specific or IPCE activity awards CPEUs (One IPCE credit=One CPEU). 

If the activity is dietetics-related but not targeted to RDs or DTRs, CPEUs may be claimed which are commensurate with participation in contact hours (One 60 minute hour=1 CPEU). 

RD's and DTRs are to select activity type 102 in their Activity Log. Performance indicator selection is at the learner's discretion. 

Psychologists
Optum Health Education is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. Optum Health Education maintains responsibility for this program. 1.00 CE hours.

Social workers
ACE LogoAs a Jointly Accredited Organization, Optum Health Education is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Optum Health Education maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1.00 enduring continuing education credits.

Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been preapproved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization with which they wish to obtain credit.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ACPE - Pharmacists
  • 1.00 ACPE - Pharmacy Technicians
  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 APA - Psychologists
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CDR - Dietitians
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
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