CHDD researchers embark on comprehensive investigation of autism

It is now clear that the impaired ability for social interaction, communication problems and limited range of interests that mark autism are the result of brain abnormalities that arise during early development and are in large part rooted in the genes. Much less clear, however, is the nature of these abnormalities and their links to the behavioral characteristics that define autism. Also unresolved are the identity of biological markers for this lifelong disorder and the most effective ways to intervene.

Recently, CHDD researchers embarked on a five-year, $5.6 million effort toward improving early detection and treatment of autism. The endeavor is led by Dr. Geraldine Dawson, professor of psychology and co-director of CHDD's Behavioral Science Core. Her vast experience in the field of autism includes work both as clinician and researcher.

Nine CHDD research affiliates join Dawson as co-investigators on the project. By pooling a wealth of expertise in diverse fields­including child psychopathology, developmental psychology, linguistics, developmental neurology, molecular biology, genetics and statistical analysis­the project's coordinated approach to investigating the neurobiologic and genetic basis of autism promises to yield valuable new insights.

Combining the techniques of their respective disciplines with support from the scientific cores of CHDD's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the researchers will address specific hypotheses about the nature of autism with multiple levels of analysis. Their aim is to fully explore autism's early development­from the underlying biology to the resulting symptoms, such as language impairments and neuropsychological impairments.

Known as a program project because of its scope, the research has two main components. The first is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary study of young children with autism. It comprises four individual projects, each focused on a different aspect of early development. The second main component is a genetic linkage study of sibling pairs with autism.

In the longitudinal study, Dawson and her co-investigators will chart the course of brain development in 75 children with autism over 3 years, between ages 3 to 4 and 6 to 7. The study will also follow a comparison group of 75 children with mental retardation and 50 children with typical development. Merging the findings of the individual projects, the longitudinal study will provide insight on early predictors of outcome, identify subtypes of autism based on the disorder's neurobiology, and correlate subtypes with outcomes. These broad goals will address some of the major questions that parents of children with autism ask­What is wrong with my child? What can I expect in my child's future?

"We want to understand why only about half of the children with autism respond well to treatment," explains Dawson. "It's now known that many children with autism respond dramatically, and that's very different from what we used to think. On the other hand, some children don't respond as well."

The goal of the genetic linkage study is to identify the gene or genes involved in autism. Information about subtypes of autism from the longitudinal study will be used in the genetics study to examine the question of genetic heterogeneity in autism.

The CHDD-based program project is one of several autism research programs across the country funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in response to a special request for proposals. Federal funds were earmarked after the Autism Society of America, a national parents group, lobbied Congress to focus more research dollars on autism. Their efforts sparked a national conference, which established research priorities in autism, and culminated in the call for research proposals addressing priority areas.

For information about enrolling in the longitudinal or genetics studies, call or e-mail Cathy Brock at (800) 994-9701 or cbrock@u.washington.edu.

Dr. Geraldine Dawson, director of the autism program project

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