1994 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
R55Activity Code Description: Undocumented code - click on the grant title for more information. |
Deficits in Sibs Autistic Probands @ Johns Hopkins University
family genetics; autism; siblings; human subject;
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1 |
1995 — 1999 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
R29Activity Code Description: Undocumented code - click on the grant title for more information. |
Deficits in Sibs of Autistic Probands @ Johns Hopkins University
The overall goal is to characterize the autism-related phenotype (lesser variant) in non-autistic school-aged siblings of autistic probands for use in future genetic studies. Although language, social, and psychiatric abnormalities are known to exist in parents of autistics, most reports about deficits in school-aged autism sibs come from family history studies or studies with methodologic limitations. Some deficits (reading, spelling) identified in those reports have not been found in a methodologically sound, direct study of autism sibs. The specific aims are to: (1) estimate the frequency of disorders that may be genetically related to autism in school-aged siblings of idiopathic autistics compared to individually-matched 'normal' controls (sibs of Down syndrome probands to control for familial stresses related to the presence of a handicapped child); )2) characterize the lesser variant of autism for use in future genetic studies by testing all subjects in aspects of functioning (language, social, psychiatric) that are abnormal in non- retarded autistics; and (3) assess whether sibling morbidity is adequately explained by stress related to the presence of an autistic child in the family by examining the relationship between language, social, and psychiatric disorder in siblings, severity of proband behavior, and family stress. These aims stem from pilot findings of language formulation deficits and social deficits in autism sibs, who sometimes has ongoing or past psychiatric disorders. The language and social disorders in autism sibs appear to be milder versions of those seen in autism. Fifty autism sibs and 50 individually-matched controls will receive tests of (1) expressive and receptive grammar, semantic, and discourse ability; )2) social problem solving and peer relationships; (3) psychiatric disorder; and (4) the Family Environment Scale (a measure of perceived stress). Autism sibs will be ascertained from the Hopkins Autism Family Study. Thus, data interpretation will be facilitated by the large family study data set, including information about these sibs (reading, spelling, pre-, peri- and neonatal risk factors), their parents (based on direct cognitive, social, psychiatric, and language assessment), autistic sibling, (IQ, nature and severity of autistic symptoms) and extended family (family history). This study is important for defining the autism-related phenotype (necessary for genetic analyses) and will contribute to our understanding of abnormal mechanism in autism.
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1 |
1997 — 2001 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
P01Activity Code Description: For the support of a broadly based, multidisciplinary, often long-term research program which has a specific major objective or a basic theme. A program project generally involves the organized efforts of relatively large groups, members of which are conducting research projects designed to elucidate the various aspects or components of this objective. Each research project is usually under the leadership of an established investigator. The grant can provide support for certain basic resources used by these groups in the program, including clinical components, the sharing of which facilitates the total research effort. A program project is directed toward a range of problems having a central research focus, in contrast to the usually narrower thrust of the traditional research project. Each project supported through this mechanism should contribute or be directly related to the common theme of the total research effort. These scientifically meritorious projects should demonstrate an essential element of unity and interdependence, i.e., a system of research activities and projects directed toward a well-defined research program goal. |
Familial Phenotype in Autism @ University of Colorado Denver
The overall goal of this project is to test both what is familial and what is specific about the idiopathic autism phenotype (IAP) at two levels of analysis: the symptom and neuropsychological levels. Previous research has identified social and/or language abnormalities in non-autistic first- degree relatives of probands with autism, which is referred to her as the Familial Autism Phenotype (FAP). This Project builds on that previous work and will specify in more detail the nature of the language abnormality in the FAP. However, neither the full range of symptoms nor all the underlying neuropsychological deficits founds in the IAP have been tested in non-autistic relatives, so that both the boundaries of the FAP and its similarity to the IAP remain unclear. It is also unclear which aspects of the FAP and the IAP are specific to autism and not found in other, even closely related developmental disabilities. This project will attempt to close these gaps in existing knowledge by comparing first degree relatives of autistic sib pairs with 1) first degree relatives of Down syndrome (DS) children, 2) females with fragile X syndrome (FXS) from Project III.
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0.943 |
2001 — 2016 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Autism: Social and Communication Predictors in Siblings @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This revised application is a request for competitive renewal of a prospective, longitudinal study of the emergence of autism in infant siblings of children with autism (AU sibs) and low risk controls (tested at 6 months, 14, 24 and 36 months). Data from the existing R01 show that autism is present by 14 months, with the phenotype being characterized by deficits in social, communication, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior and interest. Symptoms become more severe in about over a third of the toddlers with ASD. In the renewal, there will be four groups of participants: (1) younger siblings of children with autism;(2) low-risk controls;(3) verbal probands through whom the younger siblings were ascertained;and (4) children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) who will have the exact same assessment protocol at the same ages as groups 1-3 (Dr. Mabel Rice's sample from University of Kansas). The specific aims of the proposed continuation are to follow these children until they are 6 to 8 years of age in order to: (1) examine early school-age 'outcomes'of children who manifested autism spectrum disorder (ASD), language impairment, or no impairment during toddlerhood;(2) identify 14-month-old predictors of school-age ASD and the broader autism phenotype (BAP);and (3) determine whether the language impairment associated with the BAP and ASD overlap with, and are distinguished from, SLI in predicted ways between 4 and 8 years of age. Likewise, whether autism-related social deficits are associated with SLI will be examined. Assessments will measure IQ, adaptive functioning, language (phonological, morphosyntactic, vocabulary, pragmatics), reading, social, developmental psychopathology, and autism symptoms. There is complete overlap of data for the all sites. Data will be collected at yearly intervals. Analyses will involve the use of regression models, and growth curve analysis. This will be the first study of its kind to follow children at high risk for autism and related disorders from infancy to school age, and the first to prospectively and longitudinally compare linguistic functioning in autism, the BAP, and SLI.
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0.913 |
2003 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
U54Activity Code Description: To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These differ from program project in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes, with funding component staff helping to identify appropriate priority needs. |
Administrative Core @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger |
0.913 |
2003 — 2007 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
U54Activity Code Description: To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These differ from program project in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes, with funding component staff helping to identify appropriate priority needs. |
Early Detection, Intervention and Neurobiology in Autism @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger
Autism is a brain-based disorder characterized by significant impairment in communication and emotional understanding/expression in the presence of stereotyped interests and activities. It is typically not diagnosed until 3 years of age. Yet there is evidence that the brain abnormality in autism has its origin in prenatal life or at birth. This project aims to improve outcome in toddlers with autism by facilitating access to earlier intervention and by identifying critical targets for early intervention. Four groups of toddlers will participate in this prospective, longitudinal study of autism: siblings of children with autism, late talkers referred by local professionals (having no family history of autism), toddlers with non-familial autism, and typically developing controls. Assessments of general development, communication, and functions related to interpersonal synchrony (joint attention, contingent imitation, shared positive affect) will be conducted. Our preliminary evidence suggests that, by 18 months of age, autism can be differentiated from language delay based on functions related to interpersonal synchrony (joint attention, shared positive affect). This project will extend existing evidence that a disruption in interpersonal synchrony may differentiate autism from language delay in toddlers. We will test the hypothesis that targeting these interpersonal synchrony goals in early intervention may accelerate language and communication development, and ultimately improve outcomes for children with autism. This project also aims to define early neurobiological mechanisms that may lead to improved medical interventions for autism.
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0.913 |
2003 — 2007 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
U54Activity Code Description: To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These differ from program project in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes, with funding component staff helping to identify appropriate priority needs. |
Neurobiologic Origins and Innovative Treatment of Autism @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger
This Baltimore-Washington STAART Center will study the neurobiological origins of motor planning and communication impairments in autism. The goal is to identify fundamental biologic alterations of brain development that underlie the core manifestations of autism and to translate these insights into effective therapies through early identification and intervention. In order to accomplish this goal, we have assembled a group of 22 investigators representing 7 disciplines (psychiatry, neuropsychology, psychology, speech-language pathology, developmental pediatrics, neuroscience) in a consortium involving the Kennedy Krieger Institute (lead agency), Children's National Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and Georgetown University. We propose 3 research projects (1 basic science and 2 clinical) and two cores (administration and clinical). We will also have the core support of two Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers in molecular genetics, cellular neuroscience, functional neuroimaging, and biostatistics. The first project addresses the role of 5-HT afferents in the initiation and progression of synaptogenesis in the cortex during postnatal development in a neonatal 5-HT depleted animal model of autism. The second project will address origins of symptoms, early neurobiological mechanisms, and treatment of key deficits near the time of their emergence through studies of toddlers at high risk for autism. The third project will extend understanding of autism provided by the other projects to a point later in life: in school-aged children. It will focus on motor execution and its relationship to cognitive functioning. This project will use structural and functional MRI procedures to elucidate the neurobiological basis of attention, motor planning, and executive function in individuals with high functioning autism. Taken as a whole, the projects should add significantly to our knowledge of the ontogeny of autism and thereby lead to the development of novel treatment approaches.
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0.913 |
2009 — 2013 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
3/3-Multisite Rct of Early Intervention For Spoken Communication in Autism @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While significant progress has been made toward identifying effective interventions for preschool-age children with autism (National Research Council, 2001), few scientifically rigorous studies have compared active ingredients of these interventions or examined outcomes focused on core deficits. To address these areas of need, this collaborative, multi-site project combines the expertise of investigators experienced in randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs), in the study of core deficits in young children with autism, and in data management and analysis of multi-site clinical trials. The goal of this project is to compare the efficacy of two interventions for improving spoken language and reducing symptoms of autism: (1) Discrete trial training (DTT)--an applied behavior analysis approach emphasizing highly structured teaching of school readiness skills (match-to-sample, imitation, functional play, and receptive and expressive language) and (2) Interpersonal developmental approach (IDA): a visually supported, child-focused, flexible engagement, socialcommunicative engagement approach on joint attention, symbolic play, and the use of conventional symbols within socially valid communicative contexts. Each site will recruit 64 children with autism (3-4 years of age; total sample=192) who are engaged in 25 hour per week early intervention programs. Children will be randomly assigned to DTT or IDA. In each condition, children's ongoing early intervention programs will be augmented with two 30-minute sessions daily of the study intervention (DTT or IDA) conducted by supervised therapists for 4 months, with transition to home therapy for 2 months. The primary aims are 1) to compare intervention conditions (DTT and IDA) on child outcomes of spoken language at the end of treatment and 6 months later, 2) to compare intervention conditions on child outcomes of core deficits of social features of autism at end of treatment and 6 months later, and 3) to examine potential moderators (e.g., mental age, language age) on treatment outcome. Secondary exploratory analyses focus on potential mediators (parent synchronization of joint attention and changes in parental expectancies), and non-specific factors (quality and quantity of community treatment). This study addresses multiple priorities in the autism research matrix (National Institute of Mental Health, 2004), including multisite RCTs of early intervention, isolation of active ingredients, identification of mediators or moderators, and treatment of core deficits.
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0.913 |
2017 — 2018 |
Landa, Rebecca Jean |
R21Activity Code Description: To encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.) |
Preventive Dyadic Intervention to Enhance Communication Development in At-Risk Infants @ Hugo W. Moser Res Inst Kennedy Krieger
Project Summary In the United States, 1 in 13 children are affected by a communication disorder. While behavioral indicators of communication, language, and associated disorders can be observed in the first year of life, diagnosis often cannot be made until after the second or third year. By that point, developmental trajectories may have begun to diverge off course with lifelong, cascading consequences. There is a need for interventions that may be implemented in infancy, a time of enhanced neuroplasticity and emerging foundational skills, in order to prevent full manifestation or exacerbation of communication delays and to promote healthy communication development. Although short-term experimental interventions have positively impacted skills in infant communication (including social, nonverbal, and verbal components), real-world enrichment programs appropriate for infants and tailored for communication development are not available. Successful interventions targeting communication delay and disorder implemented in the second year and beyond cannot be presumed to be appropriate for use in infancy. Thus, we propose a novel communication-targeted preventive intervention, Infant Achievements (IA), for infants at high risk for communication delays. Specific aims are to: (1) assess effects of the IA intervention on caregiver's implementation of targeted child development-enhancing strategies; (2) assess effects of the IA intervention on child communication development; and (3) examine the relation between caregiver fidelity and child outcomes. Participants will be randomized to one of two 8-week in- home treatment conditions: IA (with twice-weekly caregiver coaching) or Caregiver Education (CE) comparison condition (no caregiver coaching). The short-term intervention period is intended to enhance intervention efficiency and permit examination of specific mechanisms of change. Caregivers in the IA group will be trained in the use of communication-supporting strategies adapted from naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, implemented during joint-action routines supported by the use of innovative strategically- designed toy bundles and user guides. These toy bundles provide the exostructure for the intervention, easing caregiver learning demands and promoting generalization. Caregivers in the CE group will receive weekly in- home Child Development Tutorials plus weekly phone follow-up and toys differing from IA toy bundles. Rigor is attained via a randomized controlled trial (RCT), strong counterfactual, use of targeted and valid measures, fidelity measures, blinding of examiners and coders, and focus on targeted outcomes using dense observation of child and caregiver behaviors. Caregiver and infant outcomes will be assessed pre- and post-intervention, at a 2-month follow-up, and during the intervention. Long-term goals include refining the IA intervention, as needed, examining its efficacy for infants and caregivers in a larger RCT, and examining mediators of treatment response in caregivers and infants.
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0.913 |