Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
May is ALS awareness month and Waisman Center investigator Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD, uses stem cells from ALS patients to uncover the cause of ALS and screen drugs to treat the disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement. …
Waisman Center investigator, Leann Smith, PhD, was interviewed by WSAW-TV in Wausau to discuss the importance of employment for teens and young adults with autism as they transition out of high school. The Age of Autism – click to watch Smith created an eight-week program, Transitioning Together, to help teenagers with autism and their families …
Jenny Saffran, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of psychology and an expert on how infants learn, is among leaders in academia, business, public affairs and the arts elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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.
