May 15 autism event covers treatments and educational services

Carl Feinstein

Parents and caregivers of children with autism face great challenges. They must rapidly learn what autism spectrum disorders are and then navigate a thicket of often-conflicting information about treatment and educational services. Help with this task and more will be available May 15 at the third annual Autism Spectrum Disorder Update, sponsored by the Stanford Autism Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

The title of this year’s session is “Advances in science and clinical care for autism spectrum disorders.” The daylong event will take place at the Arrillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford campus.

The program provides a window into the clinical services offered at the autism center, as well as into the research being carried out by scientists at the School of Medicine. It also provides an opportunity for exchange between parents, caregivers and clinical and research faculty.According to autism center director Carl Feinstein, MD, “We work hard to try to provide clinical information that is truly substantive and to communicate important developments in autism research. It’s also an excellent opportunity to present the work of our faculty to the community we serve.”

The autism center is dedicated to state-of-the-art evaluation, care and support for individuals with autism and their families. “In all of our clinical programs, we look for ways of targeting the primary symptoms of autism,” said Feinstein, “but we also pay special attention to all the associated behavior problems that hold the child back from full school or community involvement or seriously disrupt family life.

“Additionally,” said Feinstein, “our training and research programs are some of the nation’s best.”

Speakers will include Marsha Seltzer, PhD, the Vaughan Bascom Professor of Social Work and director of the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who plans to speak about what to expect when a child with autism reaches adulthood.

“The outcomes are wide because the spectrum is wide,” said Feinstein. “The situation for current adults with autism may not be a reliable guide as to what to expect when today’s youngsters with autism spectrum disorders grow up. We didn’t have the treatments a generation ago that we have now, and we are hopeful that will translate into a higher quality of life in adulthood.”

Other speakers will present exciting new research directed at understanding the biological basis of autism spectrum disorders and will cover the current testing of new treatments.

Thomas Sudhof

Stanford/Packard researchers presenting in the morning session will include:

Behavioral neuroscientist Karen Parker, PhD, who will discuss the role of oxytocin in regulating social behavior in animals, present evidence that oxytocin signaling is disrupted in autism and discuss new studies showing that oxytocin treatment improves social functioning in autism.

Autism research scientist Joachim Hallmayer, MD, who will present news on the genetics of autism. Hallmayer and child psychiatrists Antonio Hardan, MD, and Allan Reiss, MD, are currently studying twins, some with autism and some without, to look for gene-brain associations.

Thomas Sudhof, MD, an internationally-recognized neuroscientist at Stanford, who will speak about how nerve cells connect and how genes affect synaptic development, as well as explain how this helps our understanding of the causes of autism.

Speakers at the afternoon sessions include:

Antonio Hardan

Antonio Hardan, director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic at Packard Children’s, who will talk about several new treatment research programs under way at Stanford.

Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD, director of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Stanford, who will address language development in children with autism spectrum disorders.

After each of the scheduled speakers, there will be an opportunity to submit questions, and breakout sessions in the latter half of the afternoon will allow a more flexible focus.

“These sessions will give the audience a chance to ask questions that are important to them and hear from experts in that specific field,” said Feinstein. “It’s a tremendous, two-way opportunity for us to share with families what we have learned and also learn from families what they know.”

The cost of the event is $100, which includes a continental breakfast and a buffet lunch. Preregistration is required. To register for the event and view a map, visit www.tinyurl.com/autismpackard. Parents, teachers, pediatricians, psychologists, caregivers, media and anyone with an interest in autism can attend. More information is available at http://childpsychiatry.stanford.edu.