Welcome to the final 2019 issue of the Carlat Child Psychiatry Report. Our theme for this issue is autism, and we have a number of insights to share. One highlight relates to the general observation that a child’s mental health and development hinges on maternal behavior; we cover research on mothers’ impact on children’s social emotional growth along the autism spectrum.

Also for this issue, we were delighted to interview Dr. Lauren Brookman-Frazee from UCSD about her program to help clinicians dissect ASD-related difficulties and put together more effective treatment plans. That’s good, since we also report on increasing concerns about antipsychotic safety. And if you must use them, we have additional guidance on antipsychotic selection. In this issue, 2 articles give us relative reassurance about risperidone—check them out to learn more.

For 2020, our plan is to create 4 impactful double issues that will arrive seasonally rather than 7–8 issues of varying sizes. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss (à la One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish): Will you like it? We don’t know! So look for your next issue—Jan/Feb/March on ADHD—to arrive early next year.

Finally, we hope you are enjoying listening to our podcasts as much as we are enjoying recording them. They are blowing up on the internet, going near viral—if you haven’t listened, try them out! And as always, please write with your feedback. We truly value and listen to what you have to say about our efforts to help you in your everyday practice.

Regards,
Josh Feder, MD

jfeder@thecarlatreport.com