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.
Autism
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).
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.
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.
Donna Werling, PhD – Slide of the Week
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a consistent 4:1 male prevalence, suggesting a role for sex-differential biology in risk.
Brittany G. Travers, PhD – Slide of the Week
The goal of this research was to determine how sensory features, such as increased or decreased sensitivity to the environment, are associated with the brainstem in autistic and non-autistic children
Audra Sterling, PhD – Slide of the Week
Expressive language impairments are common among school-age boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autistic boys.
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.