Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause severe lifelong impairment for affected individuals. An increase in the prevalence of ASD has been documented worldwide, which has major public health implications because of the substantial familial and societal resources required to provide long-term services to those who are affected. Much remains to be discovered about the causes of ASD, including risk and protective factors for its occurrence and presentation, as well as about phenotypic variations and co-occurring conditions, and how these interact, in persons affected by ASD. In response to growing public health concerns, the Children's Health Act of 2000 mandated CDC to establish ASD surveillance and research programs that address the magnitude, incidence, and causes of ASD and related developmental disabilities. The Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDREs) were established at six national sites (California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania) to fulfill this mandate and are currently carrying out the second phase of the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a population-based case-control study. The objectives of SEED are to examine ASD phenotypic variation, including clustering of core symptoms, cognitive status, and presence of co-morbidities; genetic variation and gene-environment interaction (GxE); and infection, immune function, autoimmunity, hormonal factors and maternal reproductive characteristics that may influence ASD occurrence or presentation. Data collection for SEED includes assessments of development through standardized instruments and pre- and perinatal health and environment via interviews, medical record review, self-administered questionnaires, and biologic samples. As of December 2015, SEED 1 & 2 had completed data collection on 4652 families - 1341 with ASD, 1722 with other developmental disorders, and 1589 general population controls. This proposal seeks to carry out SEED 3, enrolling 625 additional children in each study group. The combined greater sample size will enable well-powered assessment of SEED hypotheses, particularly for phenotypic subgroups and GxE interactions. Given the infrastructure in place at Colorado and the other CADDRE sites, and their extensive experience successfully implementing SEED 1 & 2, SEED 3 can be quickly implemented in Colorado and throughout the network, creating a combined SEED sample of clinical, risk factor, and biological specimens and data on over 6500 families. SEED will be the largest study of ASD of its kind, making significant contributions to our understanding of the complex autism phenotype and identifying potential risk and protective factors for ASD to inform future development of interventions and treatments.

Public Health Relevance

This study will shed light on a wide variety of genetic, prenatal, early-life and family factors that influence the risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). SEED will also explore differences and similarities in the symptoms, behaviors, abilities, and health problems of preschoolers with ASD. By helping to explain the causes of ASD and how ASD affects children, this project will contribute to efforts to reduce the risk of ASD and improve the outcomes of affected children.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCBDD)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
1U01DD001210-01
Application #
9222984
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDD1-KVA (04))
Project Start
2016-07-01
Project End
2021-06-30
Budget Start
2016-07-01
Budget End
2017-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$710,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Colorado Denver
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041096314
City
Aurora
State
CO
Country
United States
Zip Code
80045
DiGuiseppi, Carolyn; Levy, Susan E; Sabourin, Katherine R et al. (2018) Injuries in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). J Autism Dev Disord 48:461-472
Bradley, Chyrise B; Browne, Erica N; Alexander, Aimee A et al. (2018) Demographic and Operational Factors Predicting Study Completion in a Multisite Case-Control Study of Preschool Children. Am J Epidemiol 187:592-603
Rosenberg, Steven A; Moody, Eric J; Lee, Li-Ching et al. (2018) Influence of family demographic factors on social communication questionnaire scores. Autism Res 11:695-706
Rubenstein, Eric; Wiggins, Lisa D; Schieve, Laura A et al. (2018) Associations between parental broader autism phenotype and child autism spectrum disorder phenotype in the Study to Explore Early Development. Autism :1362361317753563
Soke, Gnakub Norbert; Rosenberg, Steven A; Rosenberg, Cordelia Robinson et al. (2018) Self-injurious behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder enrolled in the Study to Explore Early Development. Autism 22:625-635
Rubenstein, Eric; Schieve, Laura; Bradley, Chyrise et al. (2018) The prevalence of gluten free diet use among preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 11:185-193
Moody, Eric J; Reyes, Nuri; Ledbetter, Caroline et al. (2017) Screening for Autism with the SRS and SCQ: Variations across Demographic, Developmental and Behavioral Factors in Preschool Children. J Autism Dev Disord 47:3550-3561
Singer, Alison B; Aylsworth, Arthur S; Cordero, Christina et al. (2017) Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 31:573-582
Rubenstein, Eric; Edmondson Pretzel, Rebecca; Windham, Gayle C et al. (2017) The Broader Autism Phenotype in Mothers is Associated with Increased Discordance Between Maternal-Reported and Clinician-Observed Instruments that Measure Child Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 47:3253-3266
Wiggins, Lisa D; Barger, Brian; Moody, Eric et al. (2017) Brief Report: The ADOS Calibrated Severity Score Best Measures Autism Diagnostic Symptom Severity in Pre-School Children. J Autism Dev Disord :

Showing the most recent 10 out of 16 publications