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FACULTY
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AUTISM
RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM FACULTY
Éric Fombonne, M.D.
CIHR Principal Investigator, Program Director
Canada Research Chair in Child Psychiatry
Professor of Psychiatry, McGill University |
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The Faculty
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Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou
Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou joined Bloorview Kids Rehab in 2008 as a clinician-scientist. Dr. Anagnostou comes to Toronto from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she was Assistant Professor and Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism Center of Excellence. Dr. Anagnostou's primary appointment is in the Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto and she is located at Bloorview Kids Rehab, with a cross-appointment to the Division of Neurology, Department of Paediatics, University of Toronto at SickKids. Dr. Anagnostou completed medical school at McGill University in 1998 and her residency in child neurology in 2003. She subsequently completed a research fellowship at the Seaver Autism Center of Excellence in New York. Dr. Anagnostou's research focuses on the psychopharmacology and neuroimaging of autism. Dr. Anagnostou is principlal or co-investigator on multiple clinical trials in autism and has had extensive funding in both pharmacology and neuroimaging. She co-edited the Manual for the Treatment of Autism published by APPI Press in 2007. Her research at Bloorview Kids Rehab focuses on the development of clinical trials to test novel compounds for the treatment of autism and related disorders. In collaboration with imaging researchers at SickKids, she is also studying the developmental trajectory of abnormalities in the frontostriatal circuitry in autism, and exploring the mechanisms of treatment response and side effects generation using fMRI, MR spectroscopy and DTI techniques.
Recent Publications
King BH, Hollander E, Sikich L, McCracken JT, Scahill L, Bregman JD, Donnelly CL, Anagnostou E, Dukes K, Sullivan L, Hirtz D, Wagner A, Ritz L, STAART Psychopharmacology Network: Lack of efficacy of citalopram in children with autism spectrum disorders and high levels of repetitive behavior: Citalopram ineffective in children with autism. Archives of General Psychiatry 2009: 66(6): pp 583-590.
Glessner JT, Wang K, Cai G, Korvatska O, Kim CE, Wood S, Zhang H, Estes A, Brune CW, Bradfield JP, Imielinski M, Frackelton EC, Reichert J, Crawford EL, Munson J, Sleiman PM, Chiavacci R, Annaiah K, Thomas K, Hou C, Glaberson W, FloryJ, Otieno F, Garris M, Soorya L, Klei L, Piven J, Meyer KJ, Anagnostou E, Sakurai T, Game RM, Rudd DS, Zurawiecki D, McDougle CJ, Davis LK, Miller J, Posey DJ, Michaels S, Kolevzon A, Silverman JM, Bernier R, Levy SE, Schultz RT, Dawson G, Owley T, McMahon WM, Wassink TH, Sweeney JA, Nurnberger JI, Coon H, Sutcliffe JS, Minshew NJ, Grant SF, Bucan M, Cook EH, Buxbaum JD, Devlin B, Schellenberg GD, Hakonarson H: Autism genome-wide copy number variation reveals ubiquitin and neuronal genes. Nature 2009: May 28: 459(7246): pp 569-573.
Cai G, Edelmann L, Goldsmith JE, Cohen N, Nakamine A, Reichert JG, Hoffman EJ, Zurawiecki DM, Silverman JM, Hollander E, Soorya L, Anagnostou E, Betancur C, Buxbaum JD: Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification for genetic screening in autism spectrum disorders: Efficient identification of known microduplications and identification of a novel microduplication in ASMT. BMC Medical Genomics 2008: Oct 16: 1: pp 50.
Wasserman S, Iyengar R, Chaplin WF, Watner D, Waldoks SE, Anagnostou E, Soorya L, Hollander E: Levetiracetam versus placebo in childhood and adolescent autism: A double-blind placebo-controlled study. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 2006: Nov 21(6): pp 363-367.
Hollander E, Bartz J, Chaplin W, Phillips A, Sumner J, Soorya L, Anagnostou E, Wasserman S: Oxytocin increases retention of social cognition in autism. Biological Psychiatry 2007: Feb 15 61(4): pp 498-503.
Anagnostou E, Esposito K, Soorya L, Chaplin W, Wasserman S, Hollander E: Divalproex versus placebo for the prevention of irritability associated with fluoxetine treatment in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2006: Aug 26(4): pp 444-446.
Hollander E, Soorya L, Wasserman S, Esposito K, Chaplin W, Anagnostou E: Divalproex sodium vs. placebo in the treatment of repetitive behaviours in autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 2006: Apr 9(2): pp 209-213.
Anagnostou E, Miller SP, Guiot MC, Karpati G, Simard L, Dilenge ME, Shevell MI: Type I spinal muscular atrophy can mimic sensory-motor axonal neuropathy. Journal of Child Neurology 2005: Feb 20(2): pp 147-150.
Hollander E, Anagnostou E, Chaplin W, Esposito K, Haznedar MM, Licalzi E, Wasserman S, Soorya L, Buchsbaum M: Striatal volume on magnetic resonance imaging and repetitive behaviors in autism. Biological Psychiatry 2005: Aug 158(3): pp 226-232.
Contact Info:
Email: Eanagnostou@bloorview.ca
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Dr. Michael
H. Boyle
Michael
H. Boyle is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of Behavioural
Neurosciences, McMaster
University, and Member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies.
He holds a Canada Research Chair in the Social Determinants of
Child Health and is currently principal investigator of the Ontario
Child Health Study: a longitudinal, province-wide survey of 3294
children aged 4-to 16 years begun in 1983, with follow-ups in 1987
and 2001. Dr. Boyle has been involved in numerous large-scale population
studies and evaluation projects, including: the Ontario Health
Survey Supplement (1990-91), a study of the epidemiology of adult
psychiatric disorder; Helping Children Adjust; a Tri-Ministry Study
(1991-1996), an evaluation study of school-based programs to prevent
antisocial behavior in elementary schools; and the Community Action
Program for Children (1994-2000), an evaluation study of federally
sponsored community-based programs intended to promote healthy
development among children exposed to socio-economic risk. At the
present time, his research is focusing on socioeconomic factors
associated with child health in developing countries. As a member
of the Health Research Methods program at McMaster, he teaches
principles of health status measurement, observational research
methods and approaches to secondary data analyses of child development
data.
Boyle, M.H., Cunningham, C.E., Georgiades, K., Cullen, J., Racine, Y., & Pettingill, P.
(2009). The Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI): 2. Usefulness in
screening for child and adolescent psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50 (4), 424-431.
Miller, J.L., Vaillancourt, T., Boyle, M.H. (2009). Examining the heterotopic continuity of
aggression using teacher reports: Results from a national Canadian study. SocialDevelopment, 18, 164-180.
Boyle, M.H., Georgiades, K., Cullen, J., Racine, Y. (in press). The influence of women’s education on intimate partner violence directed towards women in India.. Social Science & Medicine (2009), doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.06.039
Omariba, D.W.R., & Boyle, M.H. (in press). Rural-urban migration and cross-national variation in child mortality in less developed countries. Population Research & Policy Review,
DOI 10.1007/s11113-009-9140-y
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Dr. Jessica Brian
Jessica A. Brian received her PhD in Clinical Developmental Psychology from York University in 2000. She completed a year-long internship at the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) in New Jersey, with an emphasis on Applied Behaviour Analysis in autism intervention. Dr. Brian’s research interests include basic attention and inhibition in autism and related disorders, as well as early identification and intervention. She is a Clinician-Investigator at the Bloorview Research Institute at Bloorview Kids Rehab, and has co-directed the Autism Research Unit at SickKids for nine years. Dr. Brian has been heavily involved in a multi-site longitudinal research program examining the emergence of autism in infants and toddlers and is co-leading an early intervention project for toddlers showing the very earliest sign of ASD.
Selected References:
Brian, JA., & Bryson, SE: Disembedding performance and recognition memory in autism/PDD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 1996: 37: pp 865-872.
Brian, J.A., Tipper, S.P., Weaver, B., & Bryson, S: Inhibitory mechanisms in autism: Typical selective inhibition of location versus facilitated perceptual processing. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2003: 44(4): pp 552-560.
Brian, JA, Landry R, Szatmari P, Niccols A, Bryson SE: Habituation in high-risk infants: Reliability and patterns of responding. Infant and Child Development 2003: 12: pp 387-394.
Cauley K, Brian JA: Teaching play-related verbalizations to children with autism using precision teaching. Journal of Precision Teaching and Celeration 2004: 19(2): pp 39-42.
Mitchell S, Brian J, Zwaigenbaum L, Roberts W, Szatmari P, Smith I, Bryson S: Early language and communication development of infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 2006: 27(2) Supplement 2: pp S69-S78.
Bryson SE, Zwaigenbaum L, Brian JA, Roberts W, Szatmari P, Rombough V, McDermott C: A prospective case series of high-risk infants who developed autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2007: 37(1): pp 12-24.
Bryson SE, McDermott C, Rombough V, Brian J, Zwaigenbaum L: The Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI): Scale development and reliability data. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2008: 38:731-738.
Brian JA, Bryson SE, Garon N, Roberts W, Smith I, Szatmari P, Zwaigenbaum L: Clinical assessment of autism in high-risk 18 month olds. Autism 2008: 12(5): 433-456.
jbrian@bloorview.ca
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Dr. Susan
E. Bryson
Susan
E. Bryson received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from McGill University.
She has been recently recruited to Dalhousie University and the
IWK Health Centre as the first holder of the Craig Chair in Autism
Research. She was formerly Head and Clinical Director of the graduate
program in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at York University,
and Associate Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC).
She is Founding Director of the Autism Research Unit at the HSC
and of the newly established Autism Research Centre at the IWK
Health Centre. She also spearheaded the recent establishment of
the Provincial (Nova Scotia) Autism Library and Resource Centre
for families and professionals. Dr. Bryson is
a leading authority on mechanisms of attention, emotion and cognition
in autism, and
on the early detection and treatment of autism. She also has expertise
in the epidemiology of autism, having conducted two large Canadian
studies. She has served as consultant to Health Canada and the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control, she is one of the Founding Directors
of the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network, and she is
on the editorial boards of the Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders and the Journal on Developmental Disabilities. She has
a long-standing record of training students, professionals and
parents, and of serving various community agencies, for which she
recently received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. Dr. Bryson
has a particular interest in knowledge transfer and application.
References:
Bryson, S.E. (In press). The Autistic Mind. To appear in M.
Bauman (Ed.) Neurobiology of Autism (Rev. ed.).
Landry, R., & Bryson, S.E. (In press). Impaired disengagement
of attention in young children with autism. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry.
Czapinski, P., & Bryson, S.E. (2003). Reduced facial muscle
movements in autism: Evidence for dysfunction in the neuromuscular
pathway. Brain and Cognition, 51, 177-179.
Bryson, S.E., Rogers, S.J., & Fombonne, E. (2003). Autism
Spectrum Disorders: Early Detection and Intervention, Education
and Psychopharmacological Treatment. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,
48, 506-516.
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Dr. Jacob A. Burack
Jacob A. Burack, Ph.
D., is Professor of School/Applied Developmental Psychology at
McGill University. He is the founder and director
of the McGill Youth Study Team, is co-director of the Neurodevelopmental
Disorders Research Center at Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies
that was established with funding from the Canadian Foundation
for Innovation-Institutional Innovation Fund, and is a co-investigator
on the CIHR-funded National Network on Aboriginal Mental Health.
His empirical work has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council since 1992 and is focused on the development of
attention and perception in persons with autism and other developmental
disorders. In addition, to his empirical and theoretical articles
and chapters, Dr. Burack co-edited books including the “Handbook
of mental retardation and development” (Cambridge University
Press) and “The development of autism: Perspectives from
theory and research”(Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates), that
included contributions from many of the leading international researchers
of psychological issues among persons with autism. Dr. Burack advocates
for the application of methodologies from developmental psychology
to the study of autism and is editor of a special issue of the
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (February, 2004)
that will be focused on matching concerns and innovations. Dr.
Burack is the editor of the new book series, Development at Risk,
that will be published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. He is a
member of the advisory boards of both the Postdoctoral and Merck
Doctoral Program on Research in Mental Retardation at the University
of Wisconsin, and is a member of the editorial boards of Development
and Psychopathology, the Journal of Cognition and Development and
the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. At the community
level, he is a provincial government appointed expert on the board
of directors of Miriam Home, a public social service agency that
services persons with autism and other developmental disabilities,
and is a member of the board of directors of Summit School for
children with developmental disabilities.
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Jake Burack, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology
McGill University
3700 McTavish Street
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2
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Dr. Melanie Couture
Melanie is an Assistant Professor at Laval University in the Department of Rehabilitation of the Faculty of Medicine in Quebec City and a researcher at the Research Centre of the Centre hospitalier universitaire affilié de l’Hôtel Dieu de Lévis. She graduated from the ART program as a post-doctoral fellow from McGill University. Her research interests focus on neurodevelopmental assessment and developmental trajectory. She is a strong believer in clinical research and very sensitized to the importance of early identification of children with developmental disabilities. Melanie’s research in autism focuses on sensory-motor difficulties and how they may have an impact on the children’s daily activities and functional independence.
Melanie completed a B.Sc. in Occupational Therapy from University of Montreal, a Master in Child Study from Concordia University, and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences (rehabilitation) at the University of Montreal. Throughout her graduate studies she also worked as an occupational therapist at the specialized home care services of Ste-Justine Hospital and in private practices.
Jasmin,, E., Couture M., McKinley, P., Reid, G., Fombonne, E., Gisel, E. (2009). motor and daily living skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 2, 231-241.
Fombonne, E. Couture, M., Gisel, E., Reid, G., Smith, I. FQRSC (2008-AC-121463) : Longitudinal study of the impact of sensory-motor skills on functional independence in activities of daily living of children with autism spectrum disorders. 47 300$. 2007-2009.
Mélanie Couture Ph.D. erg.
Professeure adjointe/ Assistant Professor
Université Laval/ Laval University
Département de réadaptation/ Rehabilitation Department
Faculté de Médecine/ Faculty of Medicine
Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry
1050 rue de la Médecine
Québec, Québec
Local 2465
Phone : (418) 656-2131 poste 6491
Fax : (418) 656-5476
melanie.couture@rea.ulaval.ca
Researcher CRCHA - Hôtel Dieu de Lévis
(418) 835-7121-1764
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Dr. Pierre Drapeau
Biography
Pierre Drapeau, B.Sc., Ph.D. (McGill), is a professor and the chair of Pathology and Cell Biology and the Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience at the Université de Montréal. Dr. Drapeau uses the zebrafish as a model to study embryonic development and diseases of the nervous system. Zebrafish lay large numbers of transparent eggs that develop rapidly, its embryo has simple motor behaviours and spinal cord structure, and its genome is sequenced, thus uniquely facilitating the study of spinal cord development in living embryos. Dr. Drapeau is recognised for his research on neural development and synapse formation. Using a comparative genomics approach he is validating mutations of human synaptic genes underlying disorders of the nervous system, including autism, by expressing mutated human genes in zebrafish embryos.
Recent publications
Montpetit et al. (2008) Disruption of AP1S1, causing a novel neurocutaneous syndrome, perturbs development of the skin and spinal cord. PLoS Genet 4(12): e1000296.
Gros-Louis et al (2008). Als2 mRNA splicing variants detected in KO mice rescue severe motor dysfunction phenotype in Als2 knock down zebrafish. Human Mol. Gen. 17:2691-702.
Valdmanis et al. (2007) Mutations in the KIAA0196 gene at the SPG8 locus cause Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. Am. J. Hum. Gen. 80:152-161.
Contact information
Pierre Drapeau, Ph.D.
Department of Pathology and Cell Biology
Université de Montréal
C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville
Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7
tel.: 514-343-7087
FAX: 514-343-5755
e-mail: p.drapeau@umontreal.ca
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Dr. James T Enns
James
T Enns, PhD (Princeton),
FRSC, is known internationally
for his
research on visual attention in humans. His work has influenced
prevailing
theories and viewpoints in three ways: (1) vision is oriented
toward objects, and three-dimensional
relations among objects, from
its
earliest
stages, (2) vision depends as much on feedback from higher-to-lower
centers
as it does on sensory input, and (3) individuals differ in
important and
predictable ways in their ability to control whether visual
selection governed by the environment
or by the internal goals of
the observer.
He is
a Professor in UBC's Department of Psychology and the Graduate
Program in
Neuroscience. He has been an Associate Editor for the journals
Psychological
Science and Visual Cognition. His research has been published
in Science,
Psychological Science, Psychological Review and is supported
by grants from
NSERC, Nissan Motor Corp., BC Health & NATO.
He has edited two research
volumes on the Development of Attention, 1990, 1997), coauthored
three
textbooks on Sensation & Perception
(1986, 1999, 2004) and has a book
forthcoming from WW Norton (The Thinking Eye, The Seeing Brain).
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James T. Enns, PhD, FRSC
Distinguished University Professor
Department of Psychology & Graduate Program in Neuroscience
2136 West Mall
UBC
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
604-822-6634 (voice)
604-822-6923 (fax)
jenns@psych.ubc.ca
http://www.interchg.ubc.ca/vsearch/
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Dr. Alan Evans
Dr.
Alan Evans uses three-dimensional
computer techniques to study functional neuroanatomy. He collaborates
with cognitive neuroscientists to examine memory, language, mood
and sensory processing. A stimulus or task is presented to subjects
and changes in their cerebral blood flow are measured by PET and
MRI. Dr. Evans also contributes to a North American electronic
network that links brain mapping laboratories. He and his colleagues
are analyzing data derived from more than 400 brains to make a
neuroanatomy atlas. The imaging techniques developed in the McConnell
Brain Imaging Centre are also being used in large-scale, multi-centre
clinical trials.
References
1. Rousset OG, Deep P, Kuwabara H, Evans AC, Gjedde AH, Cumming
P. Effect of partial volume correction on estimates of the influx
and cerebral metabolism of 6-[(18)F]fluoro-L-dopa studied with
PET in normal control and Parkinson's disease subjects. Synapse.
2000 Aug;37(2):81-89.
2. Dumoulin SO, Bittar RG, Kabani NJ, Baker CL Jr, Le Goualher
G, Bruce Pike G, Evans AC. A new anatomical landmark for reliable
identification of human area V5/MT: a quantitative analysis of
sulcal patterning. Cereb Cortex. 2000 May;10(5):454-63.
3. O'Driscoll GA, Wolff AL, Benkelfat C, Florencio PS, Lal S,
Evans AC. Functional neuroanatomy of smooth pursuit and predictive
saccades. Neuroreport. 2000 Apr 27;11(6):1335-40. back
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Dr.
Margaret Fahnestock
Margaret Fahnestock, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neuroscience at McMaster University. She is internationally recognized for her work on neurotrophic factors. Her specific area of expertise is the regulation of neurotrophin expression in human brain and the role of neurotrophins in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. She has published over 60 scholarly manuscripts and book chapters, including five that have been chosen as "Papers of the Week" by Alzheimer Research Forum. Dr. Fahnestock is well known for pioneering the quantification of scarce mRNAs in human post-mortem brain tissue and for sparking interest in the role of proneurotrophins in CNS. She has a long track record of academic leadership including serving twice as President of the Southern Ontario Neuroscience Association, session chair at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, and serving on grant review committees for the Medical Research Council of Canada, CIHR, Alzheimer Society of Canada, and the NIH (National Institute of Aging, USA). At McMaster University, she is active in undergraduate teaching, is Associate Director of the new Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and has chaired the Neuroscience seminar series since 1993.
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Margaret Fahnestock,
Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences
McMaster University
1200 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada
Tel. 1-905-525-9140, ext. 23344
Fax 1-905-522-8804
E-mail fahnest@mcmaster.ca
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Dr. Éric Fombonne
Eric Fombonne,
MD is the Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry at McGill
and Director of the Department of Psychiatry at the Montreal
Children’s Hospital where he has expanded autism services.
He worked at INSERM in France and in the UK at the London Institute
of Psychiatry, and he now is holder of a Canada Research Chair.
He has been involved in numerous epidemiological studies of autism
and is considered to be a leading authority on this topic, and
also on the putative links between autism and immunization. He
has also been involved in the development of assessment tools for
clinical and research purposes, in family and genetic studies of
autism, and in outcome studies. He has a long track record of scientific/research
leadership including serving as a consultant for the National Academy
of Sciences, the Center for Diseases Control, the American Academy
of Pediatrics, the MRC (UK), the MIND Institute (U.C. Davis) on
research matters related to autism. He has been Associate Editor
of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders since 1994
and is on the editorial board of several other scientific journals.
He is on the board of several family associations with which he
has worked closely over the years.
Mapping Autism:
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Dr. Grace Iarocci
Grace
Iarocci is a psychologist and Assistant Professor of child clinical
psychology at Simon Fraser University. Her clinical expertise
is in child development and psychopathology, specifically diagnosis
and psychoeducational assessment of developmental disabilities.
Her research on persons with autism is generally focused on the
development of aspects of cognition, attention, and perception.
The study of the strengths and weaknesses in these basic areas
of functioning is informative for understanding the developmental
course of persons with autism across a range of areas including
intellectual abilities, academic competence, and social adaptation.
Dr. Iarocci established research collaborations with leading
researchers
at SFU, UBC, and UVic, McGill U, and McMaster U. She is principal
investigator (with Alan Kingstone, David Shore, and Jake Burack)
on a Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) grant from the B.
C. Ministry of Children and Family Development that is focused
on behavioural assessments of multisensory integration among
persons with autism. In addition, she is a co-investigator on
another funded
HELP grant on the measurement of quality of life among persons
with developmental disabilities (PI is Roy Brown) and on the
CIHR National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research grant
($720,760)
(PI is Laurence Kirmayer). Recently, she was awarded a SSHRC
new investigator grant for her work on attention and autism.
In addition
to the research activities, Dr. Iarocci also participates in
a variety of initiatives geared toward evidence-based clinical
and
educational practices for persons with autism in a variety of
contexts. She is on the research advisory committee of the Down
Syndrome
Research Foundation (based in Burnaby, BC), a member of the Institute
for Health Research and Education at Simon Fraser University,
and the Consortium for the Advancement of Child Health (CACH),
an interdepartmental
group of researchers within Simon Fraser University who collaborate
on research, theory, education, and policy initiatives that promote
healthy child development. She was involved in the development
of a document entitled, Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Assessment
of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder for the B. C.
Ministry of Health Planning and Development. This evidence-based
report
was distributed in 2003 to mental health professionals in B.
C. who work with persons with autism. Dr. Iarocci also developed
several
research partnerships with community agencies and advocacy groups
for autism in B. C., is a member of the Autism Council of B.
C., and collaborates with the Autism Society of B.C., Families
for
Early Autism Treatment of B. C., Gateway Society, B. C. Children's
Hospital, and the Down Syndrome Research Foundation.
Mottron, L. M., Burack, J. A., Iarocci, G., Belleville, S.., & Enns,
J. T. (2003). Locally Oriented Perception and Intact Global
Processing Among Adolescents with High Functioning Autism: Evidence
from
Multiple Paradigms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
44, 904-913.
Iarocci, G., & Burack, J. A. (in press). Intact Covert Orienting
to Peripheral Cues among Children with Autism. Journal of Autism
and Developmental Disorders.
Iarocci, G. (in press). Updating the two-group approach I:
Children with familial mental retardation. In R. M Hodapp,
J. A. Burack, & E. Zigler (Eds). Developmental Approaches
to Mental Retardation: A Look to the Future. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Iarocci, G., Burack, J. A., & Root, R. (in press). Developmental
contributions to research on Aboriginal youth. In L. J. Kirmayer, & G.
Valaskakis (Eds.). The Mental Health of Canadian Aboriginal Peoples:
Transformations of Identity and Community.
Burack, J. A., Iarocci, G., Flanagan, T., & Bowler, D. (in
press). On Mosaics and Melting Pots: Conceptual Considerations
of Comparison and Matching Strategies. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders.
Peled, M., Iarocci, G., & Connolly, D. (in press). Eyewitness
Testimony and Perceived Credibility of Youth with Mild Mental
Retardation. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.
Russo, N., Burack, J. A., Flanagan, T., Berringer, D., Iarocci,
G., & Zelazo, P. D. (in press). Deconstructing the executive
function deficit in autism: Implications for cognitive neuroscience.
Brain and Cognition.
Grace Iarocci, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5A 1S6
Tel: 604-268-6668 FAX: 604-291-3427
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Dr. Shannon Johnson
Biography
Shannon Johnson is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory at Dalhousie University. She holds cross-appointments in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and is a Scientific Staff member at the IWK Health Centre. Dr. Johnson received her Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Victoria. She completed her clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina and a post-doctoral fellowship in the Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Indiana University.
Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on understanding differences in perception, cognition, and social-cognition in individuals with an autism spectrum diagnosis. She has a particular interest in clinical topics that are pertinent to adolescents and adults with ASD. Research topics in her lab span several areas of psychology including clinical psychology, health psychology, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. She also has experience with neurodegenerative and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Her teaching at Dalhousie focuses on child psychopathology and child assessment.
Recent publications
Johnson, S.A., Filliter, J.H., & Murphy, R.R. (in press). Discrepancies between self and parent perceptions of autistic traits and empathy in high functioning children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Johnson, S.A., Blaha, L.M., Houpt, J.W., & Townsend, J.T. (in press). Systems Factorial Technology provides new insights on global-local information processing in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Mathematical Psychology.
Johnson, S.A., Yechiam, E., Murphy, R.R., Queller, S., & Stout, J.C. (2006). Motivational processes and autonomic responsivity in Asperger’s Disorder: Evidence from the Iowa gambling task. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12(5), 668-676.
Contact Info
Shannon Johnson, Ph.D. (Registered Psychologist)
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Dalhousie University
1355 Oxford Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1
office: 902-494-4504
Shannon.johnson@dal.ca
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Dr. Elizabeth Kelley
Dr. Beth Kelley grew up in Toronto and first became interested in individuals with autism while doing some volunteer work in the preschool at Surrey Place. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at York University in 2000, and received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2006, whereupon she accepted a position in the Psychology Department at Queen's University. Dr. Kelley has published in a number of prestigious journals including "Child Development", "Current Directions in Psychological Science" and the "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders". She is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and Autism Speaks.
Her research interests vary widely yet are all related to the idea that social difficulties are the core feature of ASD. She currently is conducting projects in the following diverse areas:
- the ability of children with ASD to deceive others
- how sensory difficulties are related to language development and social withdrawal in young children with ASD
- the effects of social versus nonsocial reward in the propensity and ability of young children with ASD to engage in imitative tasks
- how adaptive behavior develops across the lifespan in individuals with ASD
- the relationships between repetitive behaviours, sensory functioning and social development
- the experiences of being victimized by one’s peers in high-functioning adolescents with ASD and how this is related to their overall socioemotional functioning
- how attention and executive functioning relate to social difficulties in adolescents with ASD
- children who have a history of ASD yet no longer meet the criteria for a diagnosis
Helt, M., Kelley, E., Kinsbourne, M. Pandey, J., Boorstein, H., Herbert, M., & Fein, D.
(2008). Can children with autism recover? If so, how? Neuropsychology Reviews,18, 339-366.
Kamio, Y., Kelley, E., Robins, D., Swainson, B., & Fein, D (2007). Atypical lexical/semantic processing in high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders without early language delay. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1116-1122.
Swensen, L., Kelley, E., Fein, D., & Naigles, L. (2007). Children with
autism display typical language learning characteristics: Evidence from preferential
looking. Child Development, 78, 542-557.
Kelley, E., Paul, J., Fein, D., & Naigles, L. R. (2006). Residual language deficits
in optimal outcome children with a history of autism. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 36, 807-828.
Elizabeth Kelley, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Queen's University
62 Arch St., H351
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 CANADA
Phone: 613-533-2491
Fax: 613-533-2499
http://psyc.queensu.ca/asdstudies/index.html
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Dr. Tara Kennedy
Tara Kennedy, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is a Developmental Pediatrician who works with children and families affected by autism in her position as Clinical Leader of Pediatric Autism Rehabilitation Services at the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Dr. Kennedy received her pediatric training at Dalhousie University and her Developmental Pediatrics Fellowship training at the University of Toronto. She is actively involved in advocacy at the community level, and in the development and delivery of educational programs in the field of Child Development for medical trainees, physicians, and other health care professionals across Canada.
Dr. Kennedy’s academic interests are in the domain of Medical Education. She has a Master’s of Education degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and a PhD in Medical Education from the Institute of Medical Science and the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Her CIHR-funded research program employs qualitative research methodology to explore issues related to independence in clinical training and supervision of medical trainees. Other areas of research interest include knowledge translation, patient safety, and professional socialization.
Selected publications:
Kennedy, TJT, Regehr, G, Baker, GR, and Lingard, L. “Not unless it seems urgent”: A grounded theory study of credibility preservation during medical trainee requests for clinical support. BMJ, 2009, 338:b128.
Kennedy, TJT, Regehr, G, Baker, GR, and Lingard, L. Point of care assessment of trainee competence for independent clinical work. Academic Medicine, 2008, 83(10 suppl): S89-92.
Kennedy, TJT, Lingard, L, Baker, GR, Kitchen, L, and Regehr, G. Clinical oversight: Conceptualizing the relationship between supervision and safety. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2007, 22(8): 1080-85.
Kennedy, TJT, and Lingard, L. Making sense of Grounded Theory. Medical Education, 2006, 40: 101–108.
Kennedy, TJT, Regehr, G, Rosenfield, J, Roberts, W, and Lingard, L. Exploring the gap between knowledge and behaviour: A qualitative study of clinician action following an educational intervention. Academic Medicine, 2004, 79: 386-393.
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Dr. Alan Kingstone
Alan Kingstone, PHD, is Past-President (2003)
of the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science.
He is currently a Distinguished University Professor, a Michael
Smith Foundation for Health Research Senior Scholar, and a Izaak
Walton Killam Researcher in the Department of Psychology and Graduate
Program in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia.
He is interested in how the brain subserves human attention and
behaviour in everyday life. His research on how children and adults
with autism process eye direction is particularly relevant to the
present program. His research is highly published and has been
featured repeatedly on the Discovery Channel and in the print media.
He is currently on the editorial boards for three leading journals
(Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Journal of Experimental Psychology:
Human Perception and Performance, and Perception and Psychophysics).
Funding for his research includes the Human Frontier Science Program,
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Michael
Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the Human Early Learning
Program.
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Dr. Bruce
Mazer
Dr. Bruce
Mazer graduated
from McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed his training
in Pediatrics at the Montreal Children's Hospital. He then completed
a clinical and research fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at
the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado,
under the guidance of Dr. Erwin Gelfand. Dr. Mazer is currently
an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University and Division
Head of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Montreal Childrens'
Hospital.
His research interests include B cell development, IgE regulation,
inflammatory mediators, and regulation of immune function by intravenous
immunoglobulin. He has funding from several research organizations
including MRC/CIHR, FRSQ, the Canadian Blood Services and the Hospital
for Sick Children Foundation.
Recent Publications
Sobol SE, Taha R, Schloss MD, Mazer BD, Manoukian JJ, Tewfik
TL, & Hamid Q. TH2 cytokine expression in atopic children
with otitis media with effusion. J Allergy Clin Immunol 110:
125-130 (2002)
Zelcer S, Henri C, Tewfik TL, & Mazer B. Multidimensional
voice program analysis (MDVP) and the diagnosis of pediatric
vocal cord dysfunction. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 88: 601-608
(2002)
Mazer B. Omalizumab reduced inhaled corticosteroid use and
exacerbations in childhood allergic asthma. ACP J Club 136:
16(2002)
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Dr. Pat Mirenda
Dr. Pat Mirenda is a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is responsible for BACB-approved graduate coursework at UBC. She has an extensive publication record and teaches courses on autism, augmentative communication, positive behaviour support, and inclusive education. The third edition of her co-authored book “Augmentative and alternative communication: Supporting children and adults and complex communication needs” was published in 2005. In addition, she co-edited “Autism spectrum disorders and AAC” (augmentative and alternative communication), which was published in 2009. Her current research includes a Canada-wide study of developmental trajectories in children with autism, a study of the effectiveness of self-advocacy training with adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome, and studies of the use of video modeling and voice-output communication aids with children with autism.
Articles:
Jull, S., & Mirenda, P. (in press). Parents as play date facilitators for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.
Bopp, K., Mirenda, P., & Zumbo, B. (in press). Behavior predictors of language development over two years in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
Kleeberger, V., & Mirenda, P. (in press). Teaching generalized imitation skills to a preschooler with autism using video modeling. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.
Mirenda, P. (2008). A back door approach to autism and AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 24, 219-233.
Stock, R., Schulze, K., & Mirenda, P. (2008). A comparison of stimulus-stimulus pairing, standard echoic training, and control procedures on the vocal behavior of children with autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 24, 123-133.
Smith, V., Mirenda P., & Zaidman-Zait, A. (2007). Predictors of expressive vocabulary growth in children with autism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50, 149-160.
Brown, K., & Mirenda, P. (2006). Contingency mapping: A novel visual support strategy as an adjunct to functional equivalence training. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8, 155-164.
Elfert, M., & Mirenda, P. (2006). The experiences of behavior interventionists who work with children with autism in family homes. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 10, 577-591.
Fossett, B., & Mirenda, P. (2006). Sight word reading in children with developmental disabilities: A comparison of paired associate and picture-to-text matching instruction. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 27, 411-429.
Hamm, B., & Mirenda, P. (2006). Post-school quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities who use AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 134-147.
Maione, L., & Mirenda, P. (2006). Effects of video modeling on peer-directed social language skills of a child with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8, 106-118.
Pat Mirenda, PhD., BCBA, Professor
Dept. of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education
The University of British Columbia
2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604-822-6296
Fax: 604-822-3302
E-Mail: pat.mirenda@ubc.ca
Website: http://educ.ubc.ca/faculty/pmirenda/index.html
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Dr. Chris Moore
Dr. Chris Moore, Ph.D., is Dean of Science and Professor of Psychology at Dalhousie University. He is best known for his research on various aspects of the development of social understanding in normally developing infants and preschoolers, as well as his theoretical work with John Barresi on the nature of social understanding. He has published on the development of joint attention, theory of mind, and future-oriented reasoning. He has also collaborated on work applying techniques for the study of joint attention to children with autism. He has edited seminal books on Theory of Mind and Joint Attention and in 2006 published his book, "The Development of Commonsense Psychology.". Through the Clinical Ph.D. program at Dalhousie, he has supervised graduate students who are now employed as clinical psychologists in
Nova Scotia.
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Dr. Laurent
Mottron
Dr L. Mottron, M.D., Ph.D., is an full Professor of Psychiatry at Université de Montréal and is internationally recognized for his work on cognition in pervasive developmental disorders. He has been awarded of the Chaire Marcel et Rolande Gosselin en neurosciences cognitives de l'autisme in 2008. Since his seminal paper in 1993, which was the first to describe atypical perception of visual, local-global properties in autism, he is responsible for several innovative findings in visual and auditory perception in autism. These findings have contributed to modify the cognitive models of autism, by emphasizing the role of abnormal perception of non-social information in the symptoms of autism. L. Mottron is also the scientific director of the Centre d'excellence En Troubles Envahissants du Développement de l'Université de Montréal (CETEDUM), which associates clinicians and researchers of Rivière-des-Prairies and Saint justine hospitals in a common organisation. In addition, he is involved in genetic studies, provides expertise on autism to several parental associations and policy makers, and lectures throughout the world as an invited speaker
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Dr. Gina Muckle |
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Dr. David Nicholas |
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Dr. Rob Nicolson |
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Dr. Andrew Paterson
Andrew Paterson is a Scientist in the Program
in Genetics and Genomic Biology, at The Hospital for Sick Children
Research Institute in Toronto. His main interests are in the genetic
mapping of simple and complex diseases including autism using linkage
and association analysis. In particular he is interested in the
application of methods which take use the presence of clinical
heterogeneity as a basis for locus heterogeneity - effectively
common diseases could be a collection of different diseases with
different genes involved. Some examples of potential clinical bases
for locus heterogeneity in complex diseases could be sex, parental-origin
of alleles and age of onset effects. However, any clinical feature
which demonstrates familial clustering could potentially form the
basis for locus. He has applied such approaches to genome-wide
linkage studies of type 1 diabetes.
The current focus of his research is a genetic study of type 1
diabetes in Newfoundland - we have recruited over 500 families
including an individual with type 1 diabetes and are fine-mapping
some of the susceptibility loci for type 1 diabetes using association
approaches. The advantage of populations like Newfoundland are
that the incidence of type 1 diabetes is one of the highest in
the world, that founder effects are well-documented for single
gene diseases and the relative environmental homogeneity. These
factors should all increase the power of association-mapping studies
compared to studies in admixed populations.
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Paterson AD (2006) Genetic epidemiology of type 1 diabetes. Current
Diabetes Reports, 6, 139-46. (SRA)
James PD, Paterson AD, Notley C, Cameron C, Hegadorn C, Tinlin
S, Brown C, O’Brien L, Leggo J, Lillicrap D, Association
of Hemophilia Clinic Directors of Canada, (2006) Genetic Linkage
and Association Analysis in Type 1 von Willebrand Disease: Results
from the Canadian Type 1 VWD Study. Journal of Thrombosis and
Hemostasis 4, 783-792. (CPA)
Vincent JB, Horike SI, Choufani S, Paterson AD, Roberts W, Szatmari
P, Weksberg R, Fernandez BA, Scherer SW (2006) An Inversion inv
(4) (p12-p15.3) in Autistic Siblings Implicates the 4p GABA Receptor
Gene Cluster. Journal of Medical Genetics 43, 429-434.
Rafiq MA, Faiyaz-ul-Haque M, Amin ud Din M, Malik S, Sohail
M, Anwar M, Haque S, Paterson AD, Tsui L-C, Ahmad W (2005) A
novel locus of ectodermal dysplasia maps to chromosome 10q 24.32-q25.1.
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 124, 338-342.
Lohi H, Young EJ, Fitzmaurice SN, Rusbridge C, Chan EM, Vervoort
M, Turnbull J, Zhao XC, Ianzano L, Paterson AD, Sutter NB, Ostrander
EA, Andre C, Shelton GD, Ackerley CA, Scherer SW, Minassian BA
(2005) Expanded repeat in canine epilepsy. Science, 307, 81.
Venken T, Claes S, Sluijs S, Paterson AD, van Duijn C, Adolfsson
R, Del-Favero J, Van Broeckhoven C (2005) Genomewide scan for
affective disorder susceptibility loci in families of a northern
Swedish isolated population. American Journal of Human Genetics,
76, 237–248.
Paterson AD, Magistroni R, He N, Wang K, Johnson A, Fain PR,
Dicks E, Parfrey P, St. George-Hyslop P, Pei Y (2005) Progressive
loss of renal function is an age-dependent heritable trait in
type 1 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Journal
of the American Society of Nephrology, 16, 755-762.
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Dr Andrew Paterson
Canada Research Chair in Genetics of Complex Diseases
Scientist, Program in Genetics and Genome Biology
The Hospital for Sick Children
TMDT Building East Tower, Rm 15-707
101 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1L7
Canada
Tel (416) 813 6994
Fax (416) 813 2150
andrew.paterson@utoronto.ca
http://www.sickkids.ca/research/custom/profiles/paterson.asp
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Dr. Wendy
Roberts
Dr. Roberts is
a Developmental Paediatrician who completed her MD training at
the University of
Toronto in 1972 and obtained her FRCP in Paediatrics in 1977. Currently,
she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics,
University of Toronto with an appointment as a Developmental Paediatrician,
Division of Neurology at The Hospital for Sick Children. She is
the Director of the Child Development Centre, Division of Neurology,
co-director of the Autism Research Unit and Project Director in
the Research Institute at The Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Roberts
regularly provides workshops, including TeleHealth sessions, for
community paediatricians, family physicians, and colleagues from
other disciplines in large and small communities across Canada
and internationally. She received the Colin R. Woolf Award for
Teaching Excellence at the University of Toronto in 2004 primarily
for teaching “Seeing the Full Spectrum: Children with Autism,” courses
that are held at the University of Toronto Paediatric Updates each
Spring. She also received the 2001 Hospital for Sick Children Foundation
Claus Wirsig Humanitarian Award and the 2003 Paediatric Education
Resident Lecture Series [PERLS] Award.
Dr. Roberts research interests in Learning Disabilities, ADHD and
Autism have been accompanied by an interest in understanding more
about the techniques of effective communication: transfer of information
from parent to child, teacher to student, and physician to patient
as well as the translation of research into practice. Current areas
of active research include early identification, genetics and intervention
trials in Autism.
Dr. Roberts is an active member in the Child Development community.
She regularly reviews articles and grants for a variety of journals
and granting agencies. She also sits on the Resident Selection
and Continuing Medical Education Committees in the Department of
Paediatrics and is part of their Faculty Mentorship Program.
1. Kennedy T, Regehr G, Rosenfield J, Roberts W, Lingard L: Degrees
of
gap between knowledge and behaviour: A qualitative study of
clinician action following an educational intervention. Academic
Medicine.
In press
2. Bryson S, Zwaigenbaum L, Roberts W: The Early Detection of
Autism in
Clinical Practice. Paediatrics & Child Health 9, No 4219: pp
219-221.
3. Kagan-Kushnir, T, Roberts W, Snead OC: Screening EEG's in Autism
Spectrum Disorder: An evidence-based guideline. Journal Child
Neurology. In Press
Repeated
Doses of Porcine Secretin in the Treatment of Autism:
Immunization and children at risk for Autism:
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Dr. Guy A. Rouleau
Dr. Guy A. Rouleau received his degree in Medicine from the University of Ottawa and a degree in Genetics from Harvard University. He is currently a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal. Over the past twenty years, Dr. Rouleau’s research projects have mainly focused on gaining understanding of brain and nervous system diseases. During this period he has identified over a dozen disease-causing genes, uncovered new mechanisms causing genetic diseases, and worked on a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to disease symptoms. His work focuses on a number of neurological and psychiatric diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial aneurysms, cavernous angiomas, epilepsy, spinocerebellar ataxias, spastic paraplegia, autism, Tourette Syndrome, Restless Legs Syndrome, and schizophrenia. Dr. Rouleau’s Laboratory hosts the Synapse-to-Disease (S2D) Project, a large-scale initiative aimed at identifying genes involved in autism, schizophrenia, and mental retardation. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Rouleau is Head of the CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, he is Director of the Centre of Excellence in Neuromics of Université de Montréal (CENUM), and Director of the Réseau de médecine génétique appliquée du Québec. Dr. Rouleau trained a large number of scientists and physicians who, today, work at universities across Canada, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Europe. He has published 400 scientific papers, many of which in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Genetics and The American Journal of Human Genetics. Dr. Rouleau received numerous awards for his contributions to science and society. In 2007, he was nominated Officer of the Ordre National du Québec, the highest distinction given by the Quebec government.
Research Activities
Investigation of the genetic basis of human brain tumours, human
neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric illnesses.
Appointments
McGill University Dept. of Neurology Professor 1999-Present
McGill University Dept. of Medicine Professor 1999-Present
McGill University Dept. of Psychiatry Cross appointment 1998-Present
McGill University Dept. of Biology Cross appointment 1992-Present
McGill University Dept. of Human Genetics Cross appointment 1994-Present
Director Graham Boeckh Chair for Schizophrenia Research 1998-Present
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Dr. Stephen W. Scherer
Prof. Stephen Scherer, PhD, FRSC
Director, The Centre for Applied Genomics
Associate Chief of Research
Hospital for Sick Children
and University of Toronto
Known for contributions to discovering the phenomena of global copy number variation (CNVs) of DNA and genes as the most abundant type of genetic variation in the human genome, Dr. Scherer leads one of Canada's busiest laboratories. His group has discovered numerous disease susceptibility genes and most recently has defined CNV and other genetic factors underlying autism spectrum disorder. He collaborated with Craig Venter's team to decode human chromosome 7 and to generate the first genome sequence of an individual. Over 250 peer-reviewed papers document his work (cited >15,000 times). Dr. Scherer has won numerous honors including the 2004 Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences, an International Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholarship, and the $5M- 2008 Premier Summit Award for Medical Research. In 2001 he accepted an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Windsor and in 2007 he was awarded the University of Waterloo's first Science Distinguished Alumni Award. He sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of Combimatrix Diagnostics and Autism Speaks, and he is on the Board of Trustees of Genome Canada and the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). He holds the GlaxoSmithKline-Canadian Institutes of Health Research Endowed Chair in Genetics and Genomics and is a Scholar of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
http://www.tcag.ca/scherer/
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Feuk, L., Carson, A.R. and Scherer, S.W. 2006. Structural variation
in the human genome. Nature Reviews Genetics 7, 85-97.
Carson, A.R., Feuk, L., Mohammed, M. and Scherer, S.W. 2006.
Strategies for the detection of copy number and other structural
variants in the human genome. Human Genomics 2, 403-414.
Osborne, L.R., Joseph-George, A.M. and Scherer, S.W. 2006. Williams-Beuren
syndrome diagnosis using fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Methods in Molecular Medicine 126, 113-128.
Andrade, D.M., Scherer, S.W. and Minassian, B.A. 2006. Protein
therapy for Unverricht-Lundborg disease using cystatin B transduction
by TAT-PTD Is it that simple? Epilepsy Research. 2006 Aug 21.
[Epub ahead of print]
Petek, E., Schwarzbraun, T., Noor, A., Patel, M., Nakabayashi,
K., Choufani, S., Windpassinger, C., Stamenkovic, M., Robertson,
M.M., Aschauer, H.N., Gurling, H.M., Kroisel, P.M., Wagner, K.,
Scherer, S.W., Vincent, J.B. 2006. Molecular and genomic studies
of IMMP2L and mutation screening in autism and Tourette syndrome.
Molecular Genetics and Genomics Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print]
Zhang, J., Feuk, L., Duggan, G.E., Khaja, R. and Scherer, S.W.
2006. Development of bioinformatics resources for display and
analysis of copy number and other structural variants in the
human genome. Cytogenetic and Genome Research.
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Dr. Stephen W. Scherer
The Centre or Applied Genomics
The Hospital for Sick Children
14th Floor, Toronto Medical Discovery Tower/MaRS Discovery District
101 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7, Canada
(416) 813-7613 (office)
(416) 813-8319 (fax)
E-mail: swscherer@sickkids.ca
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Dr. Isabel Smith
Isabel Smith, PhD, is an Assistant Professor
in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology at Dalhousie University,
and holds a Research Investigatorship at the IWK Health Centre.
She is best known for her work on impairments of imitation and
action in autism, and has published in other areas related to autism
and developmental psychology. Her current research interests include
the development of imitation and related abilities, sensorimotor
integration and control of action in autism, behavioural phenotype
in CHARGE syndrome, early intervention in autism, and parent/professional
education in autism. Dr. Smith is a qualified as a trainer for
the Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised. She serves as a reviewer
for national and international journals and granting agencies.
As a Clinical Psychologist, she developed the IWK Services for
Children with Autism, and has provided clinical leadership in the
Maritime region, promoting enhanced diagnosis, assessment and intervention
for children with autistic spectrum disorders. Recent accomplishments
include a collaboration that resulted in the development and evaluation
of a multimedia educational resource for early childhood educators
on inclusion of children with autism. She was recognized by a 2002
award from the Dalhousie University Clinical Psychology Program
for her mentorship of scientist-practitioner doctoral trainees.
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Dr. Veronica Smith |
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Dr. Peter Szatmari
Dr. Peter Szatmari has worked in the field of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) for more than 25 years. Dr Szatmari is Professor and Head, Division of Child Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, where he holds the Chedoke Health Chair in Child Psychiatry. He is Director of the Offord Centre of Child Studies. He is a founding member of the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network (CAIRN) a national network of parents, clinicians, policy makers and scientists dedicated to launching a research agenda in early intervention in autism. He is currently part of an international collaboration investigating the genetics of autism, a long-term study of autistic pre-schoolers that will try to identify factors that contribute to positive outcomes for these children and a study of infant siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He consults regularly to government agencies in Canada, the U.S. and internationally on research and on treatment services for children with ASD. He was co-editor of the journal Evidence Based Mental Health, has published more than 200 journal articles and presentations on autism and is the author of the book “A Mind Apart; Understanding Autism and Asperger Syndrome”.
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Dr. Jim Tanaka
Dr. Jim Tanaka is a professor of psychology from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. His research focuses on the role that perceptual experience plays in shaping the cognitive and brain mechanisms of human object and face recognition. Using psychophysical methods and event-related potentials, Jim studies the face processes of healthy adults and adults who have suffered brain damage. He also examines the development of face recognition in typically developing children as well as its dysfunction and rehabilitation in children with clinical disorders. With colleagues at the Yale Child Study Centre, Dr. Tanaka authored the Let's Face It! software, a program designed to improve the face processing skills of children with autism. Jim has served on the editorial boards for Psychological Science, Memory & Cognition and Cognitive Science and is currently the associate editor for Visual Cognition.
Tanaka, J.W. and Pierce, L.J. (2009). The neural plasticity of other-race face recognition. Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 122-131.
Wolf., J.M., Tanaka, J.W., Klaiman, C., Cockburn, J. Herlihy, L., Brown, C., South, M., McPartland, J., Kaiser, M. D., Phillips, R. and Schultz, R. T. (2008). Specific impairment of face processing abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder using the Let's Face It! Skills Battery, Autism Research, 1, 329-340.
Bukach, C.M., Le Grand, R., Kaiser, M., Bub, D. & Tanaka, J.W. (2008). Preservation of mouth region processing in two cases of prosopagnosia. Journal of Neuropsychology, 2, 227-244.
Tanaka, J.W., Curran, T, Porterfield, A., & Collins (2006). The activation of pre-existing and acquired face representations: The N250 ERP as an index of face familiarity. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 18, 1488-1497.
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Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt |
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Dr. Joanne
Volden
Dr.
Joanne Volden, Associate Professor, is
a speech-language pathologist and educational psychologist,
affiliated with the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology
at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include development
of pragmatic language skills and social cognition, with a particular
interest in how these skills develop in children, adolescents and
adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the long run, she
is interested both in determining the foundation for the social
communicative problems displayed by children with ASD and in developing
effective intervention strategies.
Reference:
Volden J., Johnston J. Cognitive Scripts in autistic children
and adolescents. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders
29 (3): 203-11, 1999 June
Volden, J. (2004). Conversational repair in speakers with autism
spectrum
disorder, International Journal of Language and Communication,
39,2,
171-189.
Volden, J. (in press). Nonverbal learning disability: A
tutorial for
speech-language pathologists, American Journal of Speech-Language
Pathology.
Volden, J. (2002) "Features leading to judgments
of inappropriacy in the
language of speakers with autism: A preliminary study",
Journal of
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, September, 26,3,138-146 back
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Dr. Rosanna Weksberg
Rosanna Weksberg, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto. She has over 100 publications in the areas of epigenetics, imprinting, growth control and neurodevelopment. Over the last 10 years her research has also on elucidating the biological basis and environmental contributors to neurodevelopmental disorders such as early onset psychosis and autism. She also studies the effects of environmental exposures (assisted reproduction, therapeutic agents) on epigenotype. Dr. Weksberg is currently funded by CIHR and CFI. She organized a Workshop on Genetic and Epigenetic Outcomes Following Assisted Reproductive Technology in Toronto in 2005. She is a Founding Member of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and has been on the Organizing Committee for their Annual Conferences held in Washington, New Orleans and Toronto in 2007, 2008, and 2009 respectively. Dr. Weksberg is an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Medical Genetics and the Journal of Neurodevelopment.
R. Weksberg, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FCCMG, FACMG
Clinical Geneticist, Division of Clinical & Metabolic Genetics
Senior Associate Scientist, Research Institute
Hospital for Sick Children
Professor of Paediatrics and Genetics
Institute of Medical Science
University of Toronto
Journals:
Guo L, Choufani S, Ferreira J, Chitayat D, Shuman C, Uxa R, Keating S, Kingdom J, Weksberg R. Altered gene expression and methylation of human chromosome 11 imprinted region in small for gestational age (SGA) placentae. Developmental Biology.2008: 320 (1); 79-91.
Marshall C, Noor A, Vincent J, Lionel A, Feuk L, Skaug J, Shago M, Moessner R, Pinto D, Ren Y, Thiruvahindrapduram B, Fiebig A, Schreiber S, Friedman J, Ketelaars CEJ, Vos YJ, Ficicioglu C, Kirkpatrick S, Nicholson R, Sloman L, Summers A, Gibbons C, Teebi A, Chitayat D, Weksberg R, Thompson A, Vardy C, Crosbie V, Luscombe S, Baatjes R, Zwaigenbaum L, Roberts W, Fernandez B, Szatmari P, Scherer S. Structural variation of chromosomes in Autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Human Genetics. Am J Hum Genet. 2008: 82(2):477-88. Epub 2008 Jan 17
Konen O, Armstrong D, Clarke H, Padfield N, Weksberg R, Blaser S. C1-2 vertebral anomalies in 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome. Pediatr Radiol. 2008: 38(7): 766-71.
Greer KJ, Kirkpatrick SJ, Weksberg R, Pauli RM. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome in adults: observations from one family and recommendations for care. Am J Med Genet A. 2008: 146A (13) 1707-12.
Buchanan J, Carson A, Chitayat D, Malkin D, Meyn S, Ray P, Shuman C, Weksberg R, Scherer S. The cycle of genome-directed medicine. Genome Medicine. 2009; 1(1); 1-7.
Ortiz-Neira C, Traubici J, Epelman M, Moineddin R, Shuman C, Weksberg R, Daneman A: Sonographic assessment of the renal growth of the kidneys of patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: The Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome renal nomogram. Clinic. 2009 Feb; 64 (1):41-4.
Weksberg R, Shuman C, Beckwith B. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. European Journal of Human Genetics. 2009; 18: 8-14.
Fernandez BA, Roberts W, Chung B, Weksberg R, Meyn S, Szatmari P, Joseph-George AM, Mackay S, Whitten K, Noble B, Vardy C, Crosbie V, Luscombe S, Tucker E, Turner L, Marshall CR, Scherer SW. Phenotypic Spectrum Associated with De Novo and Inherited Deletions and Duplications at 16p11.2 in Individuals Ascertained for Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Medical Genetics. Epub. 2009 Sep.
Horike S, Ferreira J, Meguro-Horike M, Choufani S, Smith AC, Shuman C, Meschino W, Chitayat D, Zackai E, Scherer S, Weksberg R. Screening of DNA methylation at the H19 promoter or the distal region of its ICR1 ensures efficient detection of chromosome 11p15 epimutations in Russell-Silver syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics. 2009 Nov; 149A (11):2415-23.
Shuman C, Weksberg R. Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome in: GeneReviews at GeneTests: Medical genetics information resource [database online]. Copyright, University of Washington, Seattle, www.genetests.org. 2009. In Press.
Books:
Weksberg R, Shuman C. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and hemihypertrophy. In: Management of Genetic Syndromes (3rd ed. 2009) (Cassidy SB, Allanson JE, eds). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York 2009. In Press.
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Dr. Lonnie
Zwaigenbaum
Dr.
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. He completed
his medical and post-graduate
training in Developmental Pediatrics at the University of Toronto,
and a Masters degree in Health Research Methodology (Clinical Epidemiology
a Biostatistics) at McMaster University. Dr. Zwaigenbaum is supported
by an Intermediate Research Fellowship Award from the Ontario Mental
Health Foundation. His current research focuses on children with
autism and related disorders – specifically, on the early
identification of infants at high risk for developing autism, and
the development and evaluation of intervention strategies for these
children. This research is supported by the National Alliance for
Autism Research (NAAR) and CIHR, and Dr. Zwaigenbaum is the co-chair
of an international consortium of research groups studying infants
at high-risk of autism, supported by NAAR and NICHD. He is also
conducting research into the genetics of autism and related language
disorders in extended families (supported by the Cure Autism Now
Foundation), and is a co-investigator on a study aimed at identifying
the genes that cause autism and that affect symptom severity (supported
by CIHR). He is also an Associate Member of the CanChild Centre
for Childhood Disability Research, and the co-investigator on a
CIHR-supported qualitative study of the experiences and worldviews
of parents of children with autism at critical transition points
in their child’s schooling. Dr. Zwaigenbaum is on the research
committee of the Autism Society of Ontario and consults to government
and research organizations in Canada and the U.S. on early identification
and intervention in autism.
Selected Publications:
Zwaigenbaum L, Bryson S, Roberts W, Brian J, Szatmari P. Behavioral
markers of autism in the first year of life (in press). International
Journal of Developmental Neurosciences.
Szatmari P., Zwaigenbaum L., Bryson S. (2004). Genetic epidemiology
of autism spectrum disorders: Issues in matching, Journal of
Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 34, 49-57.
Zwaigenbaum L., Szatmari P., Bryson S.E., MacLean J.E., Tuff
L., Bartolucci G., Mahoney W (2002). Pregnancy and birth complications
in autism and liability to the broader autism phenotype. Journal
of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41,
572-579.
Miller A.R., Zwaigenbaum L. (2001). New provincial initiatives
for childhood disabilities: the imperative for research. Canadian
Medical Association Journal, 164, 1704-5.
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD, MSc
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital
10230 - 111 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5G 0B7
PH: (780) 735-8280
FAX: (780) 735-7907
lonnie.zwaigenbaum@capitalhealth.ca
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