 |
 |
| |
|
HIGH-FUNCTIONING
AUTISM/ASPERGER SYNDROME STUDY:
Neurobiology and Genetics of Autism and Related Disorders
The goals of this research are to better define the boundaries and clarify the distinctions between HFA and AS, as well as to identify familial patterns of inheritance in these two disorders. This study is a collaborative effort and includes our site at McLean Hospital as well as sites at the Yale Child Study Center, the University of Chicago, and the University of Michigan. This investigation is supported through the NICHD and was just awarded funds for another 5 years of study.
We are currently enrolling families with at least one child between the age of 6 and 21 years with a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism or Asperger syndrome (IQ > 70), and no other significant disorders.
We involve the whole family (i.e., the affected individual, their parents and siblings) and we may see families at MGH, McLean Hospital, or in their homes for some aspects of the study. Information is collected in the form of questionnaires, interviews, and neuropsychological measures. For the child with autism or a related disorder, our team will provide the parents with a report of their child's performance on the diagnostic/clinical assessments administered.
In the long-term, we hope that families will benefit through our increased understanding of the expression of autism and the involvement of genetic factors in this and related disorders
Principal
Investigator: David Pauls, Ph.D.
Project Director: Katherine Tsatsanis, Ph.D.
Phone: 617-726-0873 or 1-800-471-2730
Email: ktsatsanis@partners.org
|
|
|
 |
|