2023 News

New app aimed at increasing accessibility to machine learning analysis techniques

A new app developed at the Waisman Center makes it easier than ever for researchers to use machine learning techniques to analyze large complex data sets without specialized or specific training.

New study to help illuminate issues for aging autistic adults

A new study from researchers at the Waisman Center and The Ohio State University will investigate aging in autistic adults. The study is led by Lauren Bishop, PhD, MSW, Waisman investigator and associate professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, and Brittany Hand, PhD, OTR/L, associate professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. As part of the study the researchers will develop an algorithm to identify what health conditions may impact older autistic adults. The algorithm will also be used to identify autistic individuals at higher risk of early mortality.

How Waisman researchers are advancing knowledge of speech and language in Individuals with IDDs

People say between 150 and 200 words a minute on average during a casual conversation.

Drawn to art: Waisman celebrates artists of all abilities with unique collection

Lang likes to draw buildings and geometric shapes. Most of his drawings focus on interior spaces or places that have meaning to him like different places he has lived, a favorite restaurant, or exteriors of his home.

John Svaren joins research office leadership team

John Svaren, professor of Comparative Biosciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Waisman Center IDD Models Core, has been named the interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Biological Sciences.

The community boards that unite us: A circle of friends, visitors, and constituent advisors

A place such as the Waisman Center needs help to not only function at its highest level but to also ensure the needs of the community it serves are being met. This requires constant feedback, assistance, and support from various community partners.

A parent-mediated physical activity intervention helps autistic kids acquire fundamental motor skills

Autistic children show lower physical activity and fundamental motor skills such as running, jumping, or throwing compared to non-autistic children.

The beginnings and evolution of brain imaging at the Waisman Center

The development of brain imaging techniques has helped us understand emotion, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases in ways we could not before.

Bridging the Gap: How WB is Helping to Translate Research from Bench to Bedside

By Emily Leclerc, Waisman Science Writer One of Carl Ross’s favorite stories is actually an account of one of his failures. In the early 2000s Ross, the former managing director of Waisman Biomanufacturing (WB), was …

Sharing the expertise: UCEDD’s community training and technical assistance for leaders in the community

After more than a decade of navigating the health care system, he took it upon himself to help Latino families with kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) find resources and supports, and navigate the healthcare system.

The Waisman Center’s signature research project looks deeply at the connections between autism and ADHD

Josh loves coming to the Waisman Center. He has told his mom Julia several times that he particularly enjoys the two-day visits because he gets to spend more time at the center. His brain is special so it is cool that the scientists want to study it, he tells Julia.

Nancy Saevang recognized among Wisconsin’s Most Influential Asian American Leaders for 2023

Nancy is director of the Waisman Early Childhood Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, leading a staff of 17 caring for about 100 children aged 12 months to eight years.

Artificial intelligence: A real tool for advancing research on intellectual and developmental disabilities and beyond

AI collects big data and uses computer algorithms to search patterns that are present in your daily life.

New research expands understanding of impact of rapamycin on fragile X syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common heritable form of intellectual and developmental disability. It is also the most common single genetic contributor to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The large scope of research on fragile X syndrome at the Waisman Center

Research studies at the Waisman Center cover both basic science and behavioral research on FXS, starting with the individual, up to the family unit, from childhood, and into old age.

Research beyond Waisman Center: Discoveries that have spun into products

Multiple discoveries born from the minds and hard work of Waisman Center investigators have left the nest to become successful companies or products that have had a significant impact in the world through translational research.

Waisman and PKU: A legacy of being at the forefront of research and care

In 1972, Nancy Reyzer had only been home in Chicago a couple of days with her newborn son, John, when she received an unexpected and alarming phone call from her son’s doctor. The doctor said that her son may have a condition called phenylketonuria and that they needed to come into the clinic immediately.

Waisman investigator one of 12 to receive a Kellett Mid-Career Award

Xinyu Zhao, PhD, Waisman investigator and professor of neuroscience, was recently awarded a Kellett Mid-Career Award, among 11 others, by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.

Boys with fragile X syndrome + autism spectrum disorder and autistic boys show high rates of word omission during conversations

A recent study shows that boys with fragile X syndrome and co-occurring ASD (fragile X + ASD), and autistic boys have similar patterns of linguistic errors and omit more words in conversations compared to non-autistic boys.

Leading by Example: A Spotlight on Each of Waisman’s Directors

The Waisman Center has a long history of excellent and remarkable leadership. Each director of the center has played a pivotal role in advancing Waisman's research, service, training, and outreach efforts. This article highlights the Waisman Center's directors, both past and present, that have allowed the center to proudly follow its mission of advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Low-Phe Life: Animated series helps families with PKU learn and laugh

At a recent screening of the video series “The Low-Phe Life”, Logan Schrimpf’s favorite video was the one where the raccoons messed up the family’s supply of PKU formula. It was the episode titled, The Trip, in the six-part animated video series by Kurt Sensenbrenner.

UW researchers will trial gene editing therapy to treat blindness

Seth Pollak: A career dedicated to understanding child emotion

The fun decals on the colorful walls and the cheerful environment gives it away, the third floor of the Waisman Center is dedicated to children. This space is where Seth Pollak, PhD, has spent most of his career studying child emotion, and how early life experiences shape the brain during development.

The Little Listeners Project: studying language development in toddlers with autism

Even through cute but unintelligible babbles, infants are hard at work learning how to become successful communicators.

We need to know STAT: Mechanisms behind GFAP accumulation in Alexander disease involve transcription factor STAT3.

The hallmarks of Alexander disease, aggregation of misfolded GFAP proteins and dysregulation of brain cells called astrocytes, may be stopped and reversed in rodent models with the inactivation of the transcription factor STAT3.

Waisman’s Early Childhood Program selects a new director

Nancy Saevang was recently selected as the new director of Waisman’s Early Childhood Program (WECP). Most recently, Saevang served as the WECP’s associate director and interim director.

Transitioning Together helps adolescents with autism and their families gear up for adulthood

The Transitioning Together curriculum is adaptable to different settings, including clinical settings and school settings. Because of its unique design and positive impacts, it has been adopted in 11 states outside of Wisconsin, and Canada.

Bill L. Kreamer is a 2023 Academic Staff Excellence Award Winner

This year's award winners includes Bill L. Kreamer, Facilities and Equipment Specialist, Waisman Biomanufacturing at the Waisman Center.

Tiny antennas open door to injectable electronics for brain monitoring

Sensory responses in autistic children are linked to a small under-explored region tucked deep down in the brain called the brainstem

The same external sensory stimulus – a flashing light, a hug, or hearing one’s name – can provoke a different reaction in every person.

From clinics to treatment: Waisman works to help families with autism

For many individuals with autism and their families, their first experience with the Waisman Center may be through the center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities (A&DD) Clinic. The A&DD Clinic’s primary focus is providing diagnostic evaluations and follow-up care for to individuals suspected of having autism or other developmental disabilities.

Waisman Biomanufacturing selects new managing director

After an extensive national search, Chris Bartley was recently selected as the new managing director of Waisman Biomanufacturing (WB). Bartley most recently served as the facility’s interim director.

The Waisman TIES Clinic, a psychiatry clinic that looks at disability and mental health through a holistic lens

Community TIES (Training, Intervention, and Evaluation Services) is a UW-Waisman Center behavioral support program that serves residents of Dane County with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

In remembrance of Don Anderson

The Waisman Center community is saddened by the passing of Don Anderson, MSSW, in March 3, 2023. Anderson was a clinical assistant professor in the UW-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work and the Waisman Center from 1974 to 2004.

Women’s History Month: Celebrating the Women of Waisman | Infographic

For Women’s History Month we are celebrating all of the women of Waisman who are advancing knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing cutting-edge clinical care.

Newborn Screening Program on UW–Madison campus helps millions

Since 1978, more than 2.5 million Wisconsin babies have been touched by the University of Wisconsin–Madison within their first few days of being born.

Hope for Failing Eyes

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new UW study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.

Let’s talk numbers: Epidemiology of intellectual and developmental disabilities research at the Waisman Center

In 2001, newborn screening of Hmong babies had an alarming number of positive results for an enzyme deficiency called MBADD.

From brain stimulation to speech and language interventions, Waisman researchers are making strides to better understand and treat individuals with cerebral palsy

More than 10,000 children are born each year with cerebral palsy (CP) making it the most common motor disability in childhood.

The Waisman Center’s comprehensive care and strides toward early interventions for children with cerebral palsy: Clinics and outreach

The clinics and the research laboratories of the Waisman Center intertwine to care for individuals with cerebral palsy. The mission is one: to improve the outcomes for individuals with cerebral palsy.

Resilience doesn’t equate to positive outcomes for individuals who have experienced early childhood maltreatment

Early childhood maltreatment can have long lasting effects that follow a person into adulthood.

Alexander disease: A lifetime’s work in the hope of saving lives

Messing wanted to study if the overexpression of GFAP resulted in a certain reactive response in the brain.

New Machine Learning Tool Helps Researchers Demonstrate Effectiveness of Stem Cell Based Models

Today, many researchers are using brain organoids – miniaturized and simplified versions of organs produced in a dish typically from stem cells – as analogs for studying the development of the human brain.

Ruth Litovsky featured on “Conversation with a Colleague”

A college degree may protect against neurodegeneration in genetically at-risk populations

Obtaining a college degree may be protective against neurodegenerative symptoms in women with an elevated genetic risk.

David Gamm works to bring research and medicine into a single vision

David Gamm is adept at keeping multiple things in focus. Gamm, MD, PhD, is a Waisman investigator, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute, and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences. With one eye trained on patients, he treats children in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic.

The sound of the Waisman Center’s work to improve cochlear implants

The Waisman Center has been at the forefront of research on cochlear implants and hearing science for more than two decades.

WIN for the win: Wellness Inclusion Nursing helps improve quality of life of individuals with disabilities through nursing consulting

WIN is a Waisman Center Community Outreach Wisconsin (COW) program with nurses that serve as consultants for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, caregivers, residential and vocational team members, and health care providers.

Weight loss may be early predictor of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome

Unintentional weight loss in people with Down syndrome may predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease long before typical cognitive symptoms like memory loss and dementia are apparent.

Kennedy’s other moon shot: The origins of intellectual and developmental disabilities research centers and the Waisman Center

When President Kennedy made his inaugural speech in 1961, there was no mention of initiatives on intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Yet, the efforts by his administration and the Kennedy family to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families are one of their most enduring legacies. The Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison bears the indelible fingerprints of those efforts.

Waisman postdoctoral training program: Training the next generation of IDD researchers

The first two years of the grant provided funding for two seminars in an academic year, but in a short span, seeing the tangible benefits these had, they expanded from two lectures a year, to two a month.

Waisman investigators receive grant to improve brain imaging in young children

A team of investigators at the Waisman Center was recently awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health to both improve brain imaging techniques for infants and build a quantitative atlas of typical early brain development.

The beginning of full community inclusion: TIES supports individuals with disabilities inclusion in community since 1986

Around 1986, there was a paradigm shift across the country to bring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) out of institutions and inclusively integrate them into the community.

El comienzo de la inclusión comunitaria total: TIES apoya la inclusión de personas con discapacidades en la comunidad desde el 1986

English Por Charlene N. Rivera Bonet, Escritora Científica, Waisman Center Alrededor del 1986, hubo un cambio de paradigma en todo el país para sacar a las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (IDD, por …

Celebrating Carol and John’s ceaseless support of the Friends

During her time with the Friends board, Carol Palmer defined the meaning of an extraordinary board member through her leadership, dedication, and vision that helped elevate the board to new heights.

Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.

New study reveals changes in key pathway in Down syndrome

A new paper published by Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD reveals that the differences in brain structure in individuals with Down syndrome (DS or Trisomy 21) may be due to disrupted signaling pathways that alter brain development to result in the incorrect number or placement of cells in the brain.