Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Albee Messing, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of comparative biosciences and an international leader in research on Alexander disease, has been named director of the Waisman Center, UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Dean Robert Golden announced April 14. Golden says Messing was selected for the position due to his unique combination of experience, …
Mothers of kids with disabilities might be more forgetful as they age than other mothers, according to a new study that suggests the stresses of parenting a disabled child wear on mothers’ minds over time.
The corpus callosum, a thick bundle of nerve fibers that links the brain’s left and right hemispheres, develops differently in children with autism, a nine-year study has found.
Andy Pohl, PhD, is one of three scientists selected for the inaugural Morgridge Institute for Research Postdoctoral Fellows program designed to prepare promising young scientists for a changing research landscape. Pohl’s UW research mentor is Albee Messing, VMD, PhD, Waisman Center interim director. To read about Andy’s research project see: Andy Pohl: Bringing computing solutions to biological research
April is Autism Awareness Month, shedding light on a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction, communication, and behavior in one out of every 68 children. The Waisman Center is committed to solving the autism puzzle and providing high-quality services to children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. We’re home to a …
Paul White has been a key player in helping people with developmental disabilities in Dane County live independently and be included in community life. When White, 63, a licensed professional counselor, began his career in the 1970s, institutionalization was the fate for many people with cognitive challenges. When the Illinois native moved to the Madison area in 1982, he was the treatment director for a large facility that housed more than 90 people.
Research on how best to help adults with autism is paper-thin. Of the more than $400 million that the United States spends each year on autism research, the vast majority is for genetics research to find the causes and a cure, and studies on early diagnosis and intervention in children. Few studies have examined treatments for adults.
Imagine that you’ve been dropped into an unfamiliar country. People are speaking all around you. But you don’t recognize the sounds or objects surrounding you. You don’t even hear words; all the sounds are mushed together. It is very confusing.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, designated on this date to signify the cause of Down syndrome—the presence of a third 21st chromosome (3/21). Approximately one in every 691 babies is born with Down syndrome each year with more than 400,000 individuals in the United States affected by the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. …
Katie Sweeney, Waisman Center Communications The McPherson Eye Research Institute unveiled its new exhibit, Seeing Beyond Disabilities: Unique Insights, on January 29 in the Mandelbaum and Albert Vision Gallery at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research. The exhibit features artwork by individuals with developmental disabilities and includes 15 pieces from the Friends of the Waisman Center’s Harvey A. Stevens International Collection …
