Support of Postgraduate Courses at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory related to Autism Spectrum Disorders as part of the CSHL Brain Health Initiative: Focus on Autism and Related Developmental Disorders

The NLM Family Foundation, in partnership with other autism-focused organizations, supports educational programs at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) related to autism spectrum disorders. As part of the Brain Health Initiative at CSHL, CSHL offers postgraduate courses designed to promote greater understanding of the neurobiological and genetic mechanisms affecting brain health. To enhance and extend research efforts on autism and related developmental disorders, the Initiative’s Focus on Autism and Related Developmental Disorders has developed postgraduate lecture courses led by a distinguished faculty of top researchers from around the world. Some of these courses are briefly described below:

1) Biology of Social Cognition: This course addresses how cognitive processes involving social behavior are developed and how they are altered or dysregulated in autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders.

2) Autism Spectrum Disorders: This workshop takes an integrative approach to present the clinical, genetic, neurobiological and cognitive elements of autism spectrum disorders.

3) Genetics & Neurobiology of Language: This workshop seeks to integrate a broad spectrum of current research into the neurobiology of speech and speech perception. The goal of the workshop is to explore in depth the neurobiological basis of language and to define different neurodevelopmental disorders through specific cognitive/psychological deficits as well as to encourage research on the underlying genetics and neuropathology of relevant disorders such as language impairment disorders or autism.