autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

March 11, 2021

Youth with ASD have higher body mass index: study

Vanderbilt researchers have concluded that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have higher body mass index (BMI) percentiles when compared to youth with typical development.

By Emily Stembridge
February 25, 2021

Females with autism reach puberty earlier: study

Blythe Corbett, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and investigator with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, recently led a study which found that on average, females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experienced the onset of puberty 9.5 months earlier than their peers.

By Emily Stembridge
January 8, 2021

Autism theory 25 years in the making

A unifying explanation of the cause of autism and the reason for its rising prevalence has eluded scientists for decades, but a theoretical model published in the journal Medical Hypotheses describes the cause as a combination of socially valued traits, common in autism, and any number of co-occurring disabilities.

By Craig Boerner
Janet Shouse and Beth Malow, MD, MS, are among a team of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers seeking to improve access to care for adults with autism. (photo by Steve Green)
October 29, 2020

Telementoring project aims to improve access for adults with autism

A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is launching a program to improve access to primary care for adults with autism.

By Paul Govern
Donna and Jeffrey Eskind, MD, have committed to endowing a chair in autism spectrum disorder research in the School of Medicine.
September 17, 2020

Eskind gift to boost research on autism spectrum disorder

Donna and Jeffrey Eskind, whose generous gifts have advanced Vanderbilt research that is improving lives, have made a new commitment of $2 million to endow a new chair in autism spectrum disorder research in the School of Medicine.

By Ann Marie Deer Owens
August 13, 2020

ACM gift aims to improve lives of children with autism spectrum disorder

ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music, has made a generous gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for programs and research demonstrating the healing power of music to improve the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 23, 2020

Clinical trial to test possible new therapy for autism deficits

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is participating in a multisite clinical trial to test a potential new medication for treating core deficits of autism spectrum disorders in children ages 2-4.
By Kelsey Herbers
April 22, 2020

Study seeks to improve social competence in adults with autism

Researchers from VUMC are investigating whether participation in a specially designed theatre program can improve social competence in adults with autism.
By Kelsey Herbers
April 21, 2020

Reducing stress in parents of children with autism

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders benefited from the addition of mindfulness-based stress reduction to parent-implemented behavioral interventions.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 26, 2020

Prevalence of autism rising in the U.S., new report finds

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among U.S. 8-year-olds rose 10% between 2014 and 2016, new data published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate.
By Kelsey Herbers
December 27, 2019

Grants bolster scholarships for students studying autism, pediatric hearing loss

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences has received three new grants from the U.S. Department of Education to train graduate students to work with children with autism and hearing loss.
By Kelsey Herbers
December 5, 2019

Study reveals mysteries of critical brain receptor complex

Poorly functioning AMPARs have been linked to a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders including seizures, Alzheimer’s disease, major depression and autism spectrum disorder. Understanding how AMPARs are formed and operate is essential for the rational design of pharmacological compounds that, by tuning AMPAR activity up or down, could improve treatment of these conditions.
By Bill Snyder
November 7, 2019

Study explores genetic risk profiling of insomnia in autism

Vanderbilt researchers are studying how genes affect sleep and circadian disturbances in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a goal of creating a genetic risk profile of insomnia in ASD.
By Kelsey Herbers
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