Families invited to take part in autism research study

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to share insight and resources with the millions of families who are affected by the disorder.

Caretakers with a loved one on the autism spectrum, including Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-NOS, are invited to an on-site registration and data collection event for the country’s largest autism research study, SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge).

The goal of SPARK is to find causes and treatments for autism by collecting behavioral information and DNA samples from 50,000 individuals with autism and their biological family members.

The on-site registration event will take place at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Saturday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Dr. Robin Kochel, associate professor of pediatrics – psychology at Baylor College of Medicine and associate director for research at the Texas Children’s Hospital Autism Center, leads the SPARK study in Texas. Kochel discusses the study in the video below. Read more information about the event online.