The Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism has a rich history in Autism research. When still named the Children’s Behavior Therapy Unit (CBTU), we were involved in biological/genetics research at both UCLA and Stanford Universities. Currently we work in collaboration with the Autism Research Program at the University of Utah Medical Center in the area of genetics research.

Our whole intervention program is based on data collection. Families share in their individual child’s and program data while their child is in treatment. Permission will be asked for your involvement with present/future research projects.

The Present

In 2002, the Utah Autism Research Program (UARP) was awarded an additional five years of funding \from NICHD for three research projects currently underway: immune studies, genetics, and neuroimaging. This program concluded in 2007.

Also in 2002, Dr. Judy Zimmerman of the Utah Department of Health and Dr. McMahon began and have now completed an epidemiologic study. The Utah Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities (URADD) is a population-based program designed to determine and monitor the number of children with autism and related conditions in Utah. URADD is a collaborative undertaking of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Utah Department of Health, and the University Of Utah Medical Center Department Of Psychiatry. The CDC website gives more information about the network of autism surveillance centers: www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddautism.htm.

An additional recent study: A Retrospective Fetal Ultrasound Study of Brain Size in Autism, Biological Psychiatry, 2007, June 5.
Hobbs, K., Kennedy, A., Dubray, M., Bigler, ED, Petersen, PB, McMahon, W., Lainhart,JE.

The Future

With the opening of the Carmen B. Pingree School, autism research enters a new era. Opportunities for collaboration and cooperative endeavors have never been better. The new school facilitates this by its close proximity to the University of Utah campus and by providing space within the school for ASU and the UARP. Partnership with Valley Mental Health and the Departments of Psychiatry and Educational Psychology will further enhance these collaborations. New genetics and neuroimaging proposals are currently under review at the National Institutes of Health. The UARP is designing studies of dietary and gastrointestinal problems, as well as studies of behavioral treatments to address these problems. A series of seminars for research scientists has begun, with the hope of attracting new ideas and technology. These all contribute significantly to the hunt for new understanding of the causes of autism, improving treatment, and possible prevention.

Autism Research conferences have been held at the center and will be in the future on announcement to the community.