Kennedy Center

Maithilee Kunda and postdoc Roxanne Rashedi have developed a game called Film Detective to help adolescents on the autism spectrum learn to decode social scenarios. Read More

A new Vanderbilt study examining stress in teens with and without autism spectrum disorder is now enrolling participants, thanks to a $2.3 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Read More

A new microfluidic device containing human cells that faithfully mimics the behavior of the blood-brain barrier is providing new insights into brain inflammation, the silent killer. 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

Terri (Mary Theresa) Urbano, Ph.D., MPH, clinical professor of Pediatrics, emerita, died on Aug. 27. Read More

Vanderbilt University is seizing the opportunity to become a hub for music research in the heart of Music City. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified the role that a key protein associated with autism and the co-occurrence of alcohol dependency and depression plays in forming the spines that create new connections in the brain. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $1.8 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to join the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Read More

Brain scans confirm significant differences in play behavior, brain activation patterns and stress levels in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared with typically developing children. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at Vanderbilt University examined social play exchanges on multiple levels, revealing associations among brain… Read More

Elise McMillan, J.D., received the Mollie Burd Gavigan Service Award from the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee (DSAMT) in recognition of McMillan’s “instrumental role in improving the lives of individuals with Down syndrome in Middle Tennessee.” The award was presented recently at the annual DSAMT Buddy Race. Read More

Vanderbilt has received $15 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education to support the development of special education programs and a national center. Read More

Amy Weitlauf, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics, will be leading a study among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness training as part of early interventions for children with ASD. Read More

A child’s ability to distinguish musical rhythm is related to his or her capacity for understanding grammar, according to a recent study from a researcher at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Read More

Trans-institutional neuroimaging research at Vanderbilt finds that the brain may be structured differently in children with dyslexia. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is launching is a new educational series that will focus on the complexities of conducting interdisciplinary research and clinical trials that involve behavioral, environmental and pharmaceutical interventions. Read More

Kevin Sanders, M.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, has been named medical director for the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). Read More

Peer-led interventions that target parental well-being can significantly reduce stress, depression and anxiety in mothers of children with disabilities. Read More

(Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM) During the recent ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, singer Brett Eldredge pumped up the karaoke crowd at Winner’s Bar as camper Clayton Caroll took the stage. A partnership between the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and the Academy of Country Music, the residential camp has… Read More

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) recently recognized two Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) staff members and one VKC investigator for their service in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read More

iStock Vanderbilt University’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) and the Tennessee Department of Education are partnering to bring a novel intervention program to families of young children with autism in Middle Tennessee. Called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), this new intervention… Read More