Support opportunities
The Autism Consortium has made significant progress quickly because families, clinicians and researchers have joined forces to overcome obstacles to understanding and treating ASDs. It takes all of us working together. Each of us has an important role to play. Here is how you can be involved:
Collaborate with the Autism Consortium:
Researchers and their laboratory groups outside of Boston can participate by collaborating with the Autism Consortium. Collaborators can have access to Autism Consortium data on projects if they are willing to contribute their own data. The Autism Consortium Steering Committee will review and approve proposals for collaboration on a monthly basis, which can be expedited if necessary.
Families:
- Understand early signs of ASDs and contact your doctor with your concerns immediately
- Download the Parent Information Packet for practical information that can help
- Enroll in research studies through the Autism Consortium, affiliated studies Research of Consortium members or other research studies such as listed through Clinicaltrials.gov
Clinicians:
- Primary care physicians should use an early screening tool http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/autism.cfm and refer patients to a specialist early
- Specialists (developmental pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists) should consider clinical genetic tests as a standard of care for patients, including chromosome microarray testing
- Clinicians in the Boston area can attend symposia and join the Autism Consortium
Researchers:
- Join the Autism Consortium (Principal Investigators and their laboratories in the Boston area) can apply by signing and returning an Autism Consortium Statement of Intent, which will be reviewed by the Steering Committee. You must be working in a field related to Autism Spectrum Disorders and willing to share data on collaborative projects.