Summary: An update on current autism research with Dr. Rebecca Landa, Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Landa directs the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, which offers a uniquely interdisciplinary approach to serving children with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The Center combines educational, clinical, diagnostic, outpatient and outreach programs to create treatment that is tailored to the particular needs of individual children and their families. In her research, Dr. Landa works with professionals from other disciplines and uses a variety of approaches to explore the causes, indicators, and treatment of autism. One of her studies is the first to follow infants at risk for autism through their first year of life and beyond. In collaboration with neurologists, developmental pediatricians, epidemiologists, developmental psychologists, and speech-language pathologists, Dr. Landa will examine neurobiological and developmental patterns in these children. These findings will improve the early detection and instructional techniques used to help very young children.
