Research Emphasis Areas

Major Research Domains

Research Affiliates

Research Emphasis Area on Autism

Coordinator: Stephen Dager, M.D.

Autism is a chronic developmental disorder characterized by impairments in social and communicative behavior and a restricted range of activities and interests. These impairments can be severe and can vary over the course of development. Once believed to be a rare disorder, autism is now considered to be prevalent in as many as 1 in 150 children. Important recent advances in developmental psychology, child psychopathology, neuropsychology, biological psychiatry, neurobiology, and genetics hold promise for shedding light on the nature and etiology of autism. A multidisciplinary group of CHDD investigators is collaborating to enhance understanding of the nature, identification, and treatment of autism.

The Research Emphasis Area on Autism efforts are focused on:

• Very early diagnosis of and early risk factors for autism
  
• Understanding brain development in autism
• Understanding brain functioning, language, social, and cognitive development in autism
• Identifying early biological and behavioral predictors of outcome
• Identifying autism susceptibility genes
• Predicting and preventing the onset of associated psychiatric and behavioral conditions in children and adolescents with autism
• Investigating impairments in social brain circuitry in autism using functional MRI, ERP, and eye-tracking methodologies
• Developing and assessing behavioral and biological treatments for autism
• Developing behavioral interventions for infants and toddlers at risk for autism
• Improving the quality of life for parents and family members of people with autism
• Treatment and cause of medical and other co-morbid conditions associated with autism

This Research Emphasis Area works closely with the Autism Center clinical and training program based in the UCEDD.

Faculty Investigators

• Stephen Dager, M.D., Professor, Radiology, Coordinator
• Robert Abbott, Ph.D., Professor, Educational Psychology
• Alan Artru, M.D., Professor, Anesthesiology
• Elizabeth Aylward, Ph.D., Professor, Radiology
• Annette Estes, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Seth Friedman, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Radiology
• Jill Gardner, M.D., Research Associate Professor, Radiology
• Bryan King, M.D., Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Patricia Kuhl, Ph.D., Professor, Speech and Language
• Kenneth Maravilla, M.D., Professor, Radiology and Neurological Surgery
• Andrew Meltzoff, Ph.D., Professor, Psychology
• Jeffrey Munson, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Felice Orlich, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• James Phillips, M.D., Research Associate Professor, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
• Andrew Poliakov, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Biological Structure
• Wendy Raskind, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Todd Richards, Ph.D., Professor, Radiology
• Gerard Schellenberg, Ph.D., Research Professor, Medicine and Neurology
• Dennis Shaw, Ph.D., Professor, Radiology
• Enrique Villacres, M.D., Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Sara Jane Webb, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Ellen Wijsman, Ph.D., Professor, Medicine and Biostatistics
• Chang-En Yu, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Medicine