Center Awarded $12M Research Grant to Use Artificial Intelligence to Detect Autism
The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development has been awarded a $12 million federal grant to develop artificial intelligence tools for detecting autism during infancy and identifying brain-based biomarkers of autism. The grant, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, extends the Duke Autism Center of Excellence research program for an additional 5 years.
Medical Conditions During the First Year of Life Provide a New Way to Detect Autism Earlier
It is well known that autism is associated with a wide range of medical conditions, including sleep disturbances, epilepsy, and gastrointestinal (GI) problems, among others. In research underway at the Duke Center for Autism, investigators are exploring whether information from an infant’s medical record can reliably predict whether the infant will later be diagnosed with autism.
Designing New Tools to Detect Early Signs of Autism in Babies
A Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development team of investigators led by Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and Guillermo Sapiro, PhD, received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to create and validate an autism screening tool that would be appropriate for infants as young as 6 months of age.
Parent Coaching Shows Promise for Autistic Children with ADHD
About half of autistic children also are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Often, they receive their diagnosis later and have more behavior, school functioning, and friendship challenges than autistic children without ADHD. A Duke Center for Autism study extended the Early Start Denver Model to school age children, since often it is not until autistic children enter school that co-occurring ADHD is recognized.
Disentangling the Brain Basis of Autism Versus ADHD
A Duke Center for Autism team is studying how co-occurring ADHD symptoms influence patterns of EEG activity and examining whether variations in levels of social abilities are correlated with individual differences in patterns of EEG.
Duke Researchers Map Downstream Effects of a Small Genetic Mutation on Brain Function
Although autism has many different causes, science has shown that, in some cases, it is small changes in the structure of proteins that determine how brain cells function and cause challenges in social and communication skills. Research is underway to find new methods to target proteins in specific types of brain cells and use machine learning to uncover the precise biological basis of autism.
Do Early Therapies Help Very Young Children with or at High Likelihood for Autism?
In an analysis of reviews assessing therapeutic or educational interventions for very young autistic children and infants who have higher likelihood of an autism diagnosis, a team of researchers at the Duke Center for Autism found certain types of interventions — called naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, developmental interventions, and behavioral interventions — can provide benefits.
Eye Tracking Biomarker Accepted into FDA Biomarkers Qualification Program
Autism manifests itself in a wide range (or “spectrum”) of characteristics, and there is no “lab test” to easily make a diagnosis. To help find a solution, the National Institutes of Health has invested $60 million in the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT), with the goal of making scientific advancements and finding autism biomarkers that track brain function.
Sleep Difficulties Show Up Early in Children with ADHD
Sleep disturbances in early childhood are associated with early signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Duke Center for Autism researchers have found. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, center researchers have found that toddlers whose parents reported high levels of sleep problems also were more likely to have difficulties in sustaining attention and hyperactivity.