Comprehensive Clinical Phenotyping & Genetic Mapping for the Discovery of Autism Susceptibility Genes

摘要

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the US, costing more than $90 billion/yr, and is, therefore, extremely important to the DoD. According to the Military Times (Robert Dorr, 8/13/11), autism is the most prevalent special-needs issue in military families. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have a frequency of approximately 1/88 in the general population (1) and an estimated frequency of 1/88 in the military (Organization of Autism Research). Affected children display qualitative impairments in social interaction, expressive and receptive language, and the use of symbolic or imaginative play, with an age of onset before 3 years. In addition, many children display restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviors. Specific military preparedness issues for families with a child with an ASD include the stress of deployments and frequent moves; early retirement or lack of re-enlistment for family concerns; and limited community resources at many smaller bases. ASDs pose a particularly high level of stress for many military families; however, substantial improvements are attainable through collaborative translational research linked to better care.CORA was initiated in 2006 as a collaboration between Wright- Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) and Nationwide Children s Hospital (NCH). The primary purpose of CORA is to develop a comprehensive autism registry for genetic and other studies for military and civilian families in central Ohio.