About us | Overview
The Neurodevelopmental Disorders Phenotyping Program is a group of researchers from the Divisions of Developmental Medicine, Genetics, and the Program in Genomics at Boston Children's Hospital.
We are working together to gain a better understanding of autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders. We hope that our research will eventually lead to a better understanding of why developmental disorders occur, and will help doctors to diagnose patients at an earlier age. We also hope that our work will lead to better treatments and outcomes for children with developmental disorders and their families.
The Neurodevelopmental Disorders Phenotyping Program‘s main research focus is understanding the genetic and environmental causes of developmental disorders and how the features of these disorders are expressed in individuals. We are currently conducting a major research initiative designed to better understand the presentation of symptoms in individuals with specific genetic disorders, including chromosome 16p.11.2 deletions and duplications. We are also working on many other projects including looking at the adjustment of siblings of individuals with ASD, behavioral difficulties occurring in children with autism, and sleep difficulties experienced by children with ASD.
The Neurodevelopmental Disorders Phenotyping Program partners with other research groups from the Boston area, as well as from across North America. These groups include the Boston-based Autism Consortium, Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), and the National Institute of Mental Health. These collaborations have already started to produce some exciting results, and we are eager to see what the coming months and years will bring.
Developmental disorders have a profound impact on many families, but with the help of our colleagues and - most importantly - our study participants, we believe that answers are possible.