Medications autistic individuals Josh Feder

EPISODE 66
Use of Medications for Autistic Individuals: A Discussion with Dr. Josh Feder

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Show Notes

Medications are often prescribed for autistic individuals for a number of conditions co-occurring with autism. Dr. Josh Feder, a child and family psychiatrist, author and researcher, discusses his background leading to a specialization on appropriate use of medications. He discusses his emphasis on seeing medications only as part of more comprehensive plans for supporting autistic and neurodivergent individuals, and not as isolated treatments.

Featuring

Josh Feder

DR. Joshua Feder, M.D.

Dr. Joshua Feder is a child and family psychiatrist in Solana Beach, California and Editor in Chief at the Carlat Child Psychiatry Report. He serves as Medical Director at Positive Development, providing affordable developmental relationship-based support for autistic children and their families. Dr Feder cowrote the first American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice Parameter on the Assessment and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder and conducts research with UCSD, SDSU, Fielding Graduate University, and An Najah National University. Dr Feder helps run the Autism Is inclusion program, the only active antibullying program certified by the State of California Department of Education. He is the author of two acclaimed books, Prescribing Psychotropics and The Child Medication Fact Book for Psychiatric Practice. Many of Dr. Feder’s podcasts and lectures can be found online at joshuafedermd.com

LINKS OF INTEREST

Visit Josh Feder’s Website 
Carlat Publishing
Positive Development

FOLLOW DR. JOSH FEDER ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH @jdfeder

…and Continue the Discussion

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1) What are the symptoms for which medications are most commonly prescribed? In your experience, what additional factors must be take into account when considering the use of medication?

2) Why does Dr. Feder emphasize seeing medication only as part of more comprehensive plans for supporting autistic and neurodivergent individuals, and not as isolated treatments?

3) What other kinds of approaches or treatments does Dr. Feder endorse prior to prescribing medications? How might other non-biomedical treatments help to address the same difficulties for which medications may be prescribed?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.