Research Results

Results of ASF-funded work:

• Association Between Behavioral Features and Gastrointestinal Problems Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The study used data from a population-based sample of 487 children with ASD to evaluate the feasibility of an Autism Forum panel’s recommendation that certain behaviors could help clinicians predict which children with ASD need to be evaluated for possible GI problems. They found that some behaviors were significantly associated with GI problems, but these behaviors were also very common in children with ASD who do not have medically documented GI problems. Nearly 99% of all children in the sample exhibited at least 1 of the behaviors. Therefore, as screening items, these behaviors offered very little in terms of positive predictive value for identifying GI problems.

Using population-based data from the CDC’s ADDM Network, the authors also observed that children with ASD and medically documented GI problems were more likely to have delayed motor milestones or seizure-like activity than children with ASD and no GI problems. This is consistent with previous research that found GI problems were more common among children with ASD who also have other developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Click here to read an ASF blogpost written by this study's author.

• Nearly 50% of Children with Autism Wander, New Study Reports: New Data Shows Half of All Children with Autism Wander and Bolt from Safe Places. 

A recent survey, conducted by the Interactive Autism Network and funded by a consortium of autism advocacy groups led by the Autism Science Foundation reported in April, 2011 that children and adults with ASDs and other developmental disabilities are at higher risk of wandering off than are children and adults without these disorders or other cognitive disorders. The survey, led by Dr. Paul Law of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, found that approximately 50% of children with autism eloped, with the behavior peaking at age four. Among these families, nearly 50% say that their child went missing long enough to cause significant concern about safety.  35% of parents reported their missing child had a close call with a traffic injury and 32% of parents reported a close call with a possible drowning. Wandering was ranked among the most stressful ASD behaviors by 58% of parents of elopers.  The results of this survey were used to create a new CDC medical subclassifcation code for autistic wandering to protect children. The code went into effect in October, 2011.

• Johns Hopkins scientists have created a mouse model that mimics a human mutation of a gene known to be associated with ASD. 

Experiments with the engineered mouse reveal a molecular mechanism by which mutations of the gene named Shank3 affect the brain and behavior to evoke an autism-like disorder in mice. Reporting in the May 27, 2011 issue of Cell, the Johns Hopkins team reveals how a mutation of Shank3 leads to altered communication between brain cells at synapses-the gaps between cells across which electrical information flows. This work was supported by NINDS, NIMH, Autism Science Foundation, Autism Speaks, National 973 Basic Research Program of China, The Hartwell Foundation and the NIDCD Intramural Program.