Autism

The Science of Song symposium explored the use of music and singing to help people with developmental disabilities like autism improve their social skills, and others with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover from the traumatic events they’ve experienced. Read More

Led by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Zachary Warren, associate professor of pediatrics, the SPARK study is looking for individuals of all ages with a professional diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to become part of the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States. Read More

A protein that plays a powerful role in learning and memory may be a key to improving treatment of a rare autism spectrum disorder called Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS), a new study suggests. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has received a $3.5 million grant over five years from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to fund the Vanderbilt Consortium LEND for graduate-level training. Read More

A team of engineers and psychologists have developed a virtual reality driving simulator designed to help teenagers with autism spectrum disorder learn to drive, a key skill in allowing them to live independent and productive lives. Read More

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has awarded three training and technical assistance grants totaling $3.25 million to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) to enhance statewide services for children with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities from birth to kindergarten. Read More

“Neuro-diverse: A Symposium on Autism, Neuroscience and Perceptual Thinking” and an associated evening lecture – both free and open to the public – will take place on the Vanderbilt campus Monday, May 23. Read More

Researchers at Columbia and Vanderbilt universities have made an important discovery in mice that has implications for understanding the gastrointestinal (GI) problems experienced by some children with autism. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) is one of a select group of sites selected to launch SPARK, an online research initiative designed to become the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States. Read More

April is Autism Awareness Month, and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders is preparing a series of events to increase autism awareness and promote acceptance and inclusion in the community. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) will host three events the first week of April covering the topics of ethical considerations of mentoring through differences, translational research in autism spectrum disorder, and conversations at the intersection of disability and LGBTI issues. Read More

The expansion of sleep education sessions through a research study will allow more parents to learn effective sleep strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have established a link between the neurotransmitter serotonin and certain behaviors of some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a link that may lead to new treatments for ASD. Read More

Dora Angelaki, Ph.D., the Wilhelmina Robertson Professor and chair of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, will provide a “computational perspective on autism” during the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Jan. 14. Read More

Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., has been appointed to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, (IACC) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced recently. Read More

Beth Malow, M.D., M.S., has been appointed to the Tennessee Autism Spectrum Disorder Task Force, a new entity created to study and make recommendations to the Tennessee General Assembly regarding ways to improve access to programs and services for early screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Tennessee. Read More

Children with autism who participated in a 10-week, 40-hour, theatre-based program showed significant differences in social ability compared to a group of children with autism who did not participate, according to a Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Read More

Children ages 6 to 14 years with an autism spectrum disorder can have fun learning tennis at the Centennial Sportsplex, thanks to the Vanderbilt Club Tennis Team and the leadership of Vanderbilt student Scott Lancaster. ACEing Autism Tennis will be held Sundays from 3 to 4 p.m. beginning Sept. 6. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School is a partner in a new Nashville affordable housing initiative in which students and young adults with intellectual disabilities form friendships and share activities together. Read More

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has awarded a five-year, $10 million training grant to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), continuing a 16-year partnership to provide education and training opportunities for school personnel throughout the state. Read More