Current Environment:

Our Research

Research within the DM-CRL focuses on improving long term life outcomes, by developing improved approaches to:

  • Diagnosis
  • Behavioral and medical treatments
  • Quality improvement research
  • Developmental trajectories
  • Response to treatment
  • Biomarkers, including electroencephalogram (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), blood, and genetic biomarkers

Our research is focused on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) including, but not limited to:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Down syndrome (DS)
  • Fragile X Syndrome

Internal and external collaborations further expand our reach in the areas of genetics and genomics research, clinical translational research, and treatment studies. Central to this are our national and international partnerships, including those conducted with other Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric centers and our internal partnerships including with the Autism Spectrum Center and Translational Neuroscience Center, Brain, Mind, & Behavior Center. Ultimately, we aim to learn from every patient we see, so that we can provide better care to the patients we see in the future.

Recent Projects

Recent projects in the DM-CRL include:

  • Outcome questionnaire creation and validity testing
  • Phase II, III, and Pharmacokinetic clinical trials
  • Non-medication treatment trials
  • Studies with industry, federal, and foundation sponsors

Structured Data Initiative: Standardizing clinical documentation to accelerate research

We aim to elevate clinical research in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and improve outcomes associated with NDDs by:

  1. Standardizing clinical documentation to capture more precise, clinically meaningful, structured data during clinical encounters that facilitates clinical quality improvement and research
  2. Creating a data repository that Supports implementation at other Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric centers (compatible with multiple electronic medical record systems)