The Huffington Post (10/28, Almendrala) reports, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed more than 1,400 children with” autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “and found that about 13 percent of them seemed to shed their ASD-associated behaviors as they grew up.” Working together with NIH and the University of Washington, the CDC found that most of such children “were simply misdiagnosed or intentionally diagnosed with ASD for other reasons.” The findings were published online Oct. 20 in the journal Autism.

Related Links:

— “Some Children Do Outgrow Autism, But It’s Not What You Think,” Anna Almendrala, Huffington Post, October 27, 2015.

Reuters (10/28, Seaman) reports that about one in seven health plans offered on the Federal marketplace in 2015 did not provide access to in-network physicians for at least one medical specialty, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers looked at 135 plans in 34 states, finding that 18 plans in nine states lacked in-network specialists for at least one specialty within a 100-mile radius. According to the article, the most commonly excluded specialties were endocrinology, rheumatology, and psychiatry.

NPR (10/28, Kodjak) reports in its “Shots” blog that the study “was actually designed to be easy on health plans,” as it focused on the most populous areas in 34 states. Lead author Stephen Dorner, a researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “said it’s likely the health insurance plans in rural areas lack even more specialists, simply because there aren’t any located within 100 miles of the customers.”

The Los Angeles Times (10/28, Levey) reports Dorner “said the findings suggest that state and federal regulators need to develop clearer network adequacy standards for health plans.”

Related Links:

— “Specialized healthcare may be lacking under Obamacare plans,” Andrew Seaman, Reuters, October 27, 2015.

The CBS News (10/27, Reynolds) website reports that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement regarding youth football, saying that the way the game is played “must change.” The group wants an emphasis on “proper tackling technique” and calls for “zero tolerance for illegal head-first hits.”

HealthDay (10/27, Norton) reports that in its statement, AAP “suggests kids be given more opportunities to play flag football and other tackle-free variants of the game.”

MedPage Today (10/27, Walker) points out that the policy statement “was presented at a plenary session at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting and published simultaneously online in Pediatrics.”

Related Links:

— “Pediatricians call for end to hard hits in high school football,” Dean Reynolds, CBS News, October 26, 2015.

Medscape (10/27, Anderson) reports that the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert about increases in fentanyl…confiscations and fentanyl-related overdose fatalities.” Recent findings also “indicate a significant increase in the total number of fentanyl drug seizures,” as the number rose from 945 in 2013 to 4585 in 2014. According to Medscape, “most cases of fentanyl-related morbidity and mortality have been linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, known as nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF),” which is sold “for its heroinlike effect and is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Washington Post (10/26, Craighill, Clement) reports in “The Fix” that “a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds wide agreement that gun violence is a problem but bitter and stark division on whether new gun laws should trump the constitutional right to gun ownership.” The poll also “finds far more point to problems treating people with mental health issues.” In fact, “more people say mass shootings reflect problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems rather than inadequate gun control laws (63 percent to 23 percent).”

The Hill (10/27, Sullivan) points out, “The public’s partisan split over gun control and mental health is reflected in Congress as a push for mental health legislation grows.” While “Republicans tend to say mental health reform can help solve mass shootings…Democrats say gun control is needed but that shouldn’t stop a mental health bill that could do some good in its own right.” Also covering the story are the ABC News (10/26, Tyson) website, the Huffington Post (10/27, Frej), and Newsweek (10/27, Richinick).

Related Links:

— “What Americans blame most for mass shootings (Hint: it’s not gun laws),” Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement, Washington Post, October 26, 2015.