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Social Competence - Autistic Spectrum Disorders
This research compares brain activity in children with autistic spectrum disorder, children with ADHD who have attentional difficulty, and typically developing children. We are using photographs of human faces as well as videos of social situations often encountered among children. This work is important because, in recent years, social perception has been understood to be a salient factor in learning and long-term mental health outcomes. By understanding how brains differentially process social information we may eventually learn how most effectively to intervene at younger ages.
Reward Response - ADHD
Children with ADHD are known to respond to feedback differently than do typically developing children. This study examines gender and ethnicity effects in the neural reward-response mechanisms in children with ADHD. In addition, recent studies have indicated that treatment with medication may assist in fostering appropriate brain connections. Our study aims to examine the neural response to positive and negative feedback and the differences that may be found based on medication treatment , gender and ethnicity. Children with ADHD who have primarily attentional problems will be comparerd to those who have problems in activity and attention. We hope to better understand the differences between these two different ADHD diagnostic groups.
Nonverbal/Mathmetical Expertise
Many people easily recognize giftedness when the "gift" is a verbal, language-based ability. More difficult to recognize is exceptional ability in visuo-spatial skill, as is most likely found in engineers, mathemeticians and chemists. In this study, we are examining brain activation in response to mental rotation tasks, as well as tasks involving understanding word relationships to explore differences between mature experts in verbal and math-basedl fields of study. The research will then be focused on younger ages to see if there are early patterns that emerge prior to maturation.
Nonverbal Learning Disability
Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD) has been used to describe children who have problems with visual-spatial functioning, social interaction, and mathematics in the presence of well-developed language skills. At times, the NVLD designation has been used to describe the profile of children with Asperger's Disorder, but the distinctions between the two are unclear. This study will use the protocol of the Social Competence Study described above to examine the similarities and differences in neural and behavioral functioning among groups of children who have been given the diagnosis of NVLD, Asperger's Disorder, children with visual-spatial problems but no difficulty with social interaction, and typically developing children. This study is supported by a private family foundation.
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