| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Autism
Children's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has a multidisciplinary group of specialists dedicated to serving children with ASD from diagnosis to treatment. Members of the team include neuropsychologists, developmental psychologists, speech-language pathologists, child psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians, child neurologists, and behavioral neuroscientists. These specialists provide clinical evaluation and care and are engaged in innovative research to understand the cognitive, neurological and behavioral deficits and needs of children with ASD and share their knowledge with the community. With its top clinical services and nationally recognized research institute both housed in the same facility, Children's offers a seamless partnership that permits a rapid translation of findings and practical applications resulting in new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for children living with autism.
|
The goal of the research program is to determine, via advanced brain imaging methods, the underlying brain differences between ASD children and their typically developing peers. We aim to identify the phenotypes of autism that may help identify the underlying genetic associations and causes of ASD. Our functional imaging efforts are directed to examine the underpinnings of autism by studying brain activation in executive function organization skills, social functioning and learning, and stereotypical/obsessive behaviors. The goal of these investigations is to develop treatments that promote enhanced executive function in children with ASD and to determine whether the interventions create changes in brain functioning.
|
Children's is part of the federally funded STAART (Studies to Advance Autism Research and Training) network shared with the Kennedy-Krieger Institute under (Rebecca Landa, PhD) and the functional imaging program at Georgetown University. Our collaborative studies investigate the structural gray and white matter abnormalities that are found in children with high functioning autism. New STAART studies seek to identify MR spectroscopy abnormalities in ASD populations, and the functional imaging of motor control and movement perception. The Children's team also provides expertise for collaborative studies in young adults with the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition and Child Psychiatry Branch of NIMH to investigate the genetic, brain, and cognitive characteristics of high functioning autism spectrum disorders (including Asperger Syndrome).
|
A major emphasis of Children's Autism research is to investigate the role of executive system dysfunction as an important factor in cognitive and behavioral impairments in ASD and as a possible target for behavioral and pharmacological intervention. Chandan Vaidya, PhD, under a NAAR (National Alliance for Autism Research), has recently completed a study examining the role of social and non-social factors in suppressing interfering task-irrelevant information. The Fredrick and Elizabeth Singer Autism Research Fund supports a major initiative for functional imaging research and interventions in children with ASD. The focus of this line of collaborative investigation with Lauren Kenworthy, PhD, Chandan Vaidya, PhD, and William Davis Gaillard, MD, is directed at probing the role of executive function disorders as a key component in the cognitive impairments in children with ASD.
|
Related Links
|
The Center for
Autism Spectrum
Disorders currently
has two openings
for Research
Assistants.
[ Learn More ]
|
Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
http://autism.about.com
This website presents information on a variety of topics related to autism. Overview of autism, frequently asked questions and common characteristics of children with autism are provided. In addition, many links to treatment options are available. The site also posts information about current research issues related to autism.
AutismInfo.com
www.autisminfo.com/
This site provides detailed information about autism including current research efforts and resources about treatment options. It has the capability to be translated into Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Italian, or Korean.
Autism Research Institute
www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm
4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116 (619-281-7165; fax: 619-563-6840). Information and referral for parents, teachers, physicians, and students working with children with autism and similar developmental disabilities. Publishes quarterly, Autism Research Review International.
Autism Speaks
www.autismspeaks.org
Autism Speaks is dedicated to helping families find answers, through funding research and education efforts and, most significantly, by spearheading the development of a national registry of individuals with autism. The Autism Speaks web site aims to be a vital resource for anyone seeking information about autism.
Autism Society of America
www.autism-society.org
Provides information about autism, including options, approaches, methods, and systems available to parents and family members of children with autism and the professionals who work with them. Advocates for the rights and needs of individuals with autism and their families.
Bright Tots
www.brighttots.com/Resourcehome.html
This web site is a resource site for parents of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. It contains information about developmental milestones and intervention services available. It also includes general articles about autism.
Center for the Study of Autism
www.autism.org
Provides information about autism to parents and professionals. Performs research on the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions.
International Rett Syndrome Association
www.rettsyndrome.org
Provides information, referral and support to families and acts as a liaison with professionals. Also facilitates research on Rett syndrome.
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD): Autism Information Center
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.htm
A unique feature of this site is a link to the Autism Spectrum Disorders Kids' Quest. Kids' Quest is a series of informative sites provided by the NCBDDD for the purpose of educating children about developmental disabilities. The site also provides information about current research by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other federal agencies about autism spectrum disorders. It serves as a link for information regarding various state funding programs for autism spectrum disorders.
Medline
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
|
Contact Information:
William Davis Gaillard, MD
Children’s Research Institute
Center for Neuroscience Research
Children's National Medical Center
111 Michigan Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20010
202-476-5224
202-476-4988 fax
wgaillar@cnmc.org |
|
|
|
|
|
|
