Research

The clinicians in the Social Communication Disorders team at Great Ormond Street Hospital work closely with research teams based at the Behavioural and Brain Sciences Unit in the Institute of Child Health.

This study is open to all families who are seen at the clinic.

People with autism and autistic spectrum disorders usually have difficulties acquiring social skills that are important to get along with other people.

As we understand more about the nature of these difficulties, the more effectively we will be able to research the genetic origins of conditions such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

For a child with ASD, the move from primary to secondary school can be a very difficult change. Parents of children that we see at the clinic regularly ask us for advice and guidence around this transition.

A new research grant from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity is helping us to develop support packages to help to make the process easier for children, their families and schools.

This study is being run in collaboration with Professor Peter Clayton.

It is looking to investigate a link between diet and autism, specifically it is investigating the possibility that there is a link between a high level of pyridoxal phosphate and a high level of serotonin.

If this link can be found, then it may be possible to alter an individuals behaviour or mood through increasing or decreasing levels of pyridoxal phosphate, or vitamin B6, in their diet.

Repetitive and stereotyped behaviours are a relatively under-researched area of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

New research developments are now allowing to develop techniques that are used in assessment of children with suspected ASD.

Pegasus is a psychoeducational programme aimed at improve the understanding, well-being and functioning of young people with an autism spectrum disorder.

We are looking for young people aged nine to 14 years of age with a diagnosis of ASD and their parents to participate in our research.

Murin M, Hellriegel J & Mandy W. (2016) Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Transition into Secondary School: A Handbook for Implementing Strategies in the Mainstream School Setting. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Mandy W, Murin M, Baykaner O, Staunton S, Hellriegel J, Anderson S & Skuse D. (2016). The transition from primary to secondary school in mainstream education for children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 20 (1), 5–13.

Gordon K, Murin M, Baykane, O, Roughan L, Livermore-Hardy V, Skuse D & Mandy W. (2015). A randomised controlled trial of PEGASUS, a psychoeducational programme for young people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 56 (4), 468–76.

Mandy W, Murin M, Baykaner O, Staunton S, Cobb R, Hellriegel J & Skuse D. (2015). Easing the transition to secondary education for children with autism spectrum disorder: An evaluation of the Systemic Transition in Education Programme for Autism Spectrum Disorder (STEP-ASD). Autism, Epub: ahead of print.

Skuse DH, Gallagher L (2009) Dopaminergic-neuropeptide interactions in the social brain. Trends Cogn Sci, 13 (1): 27–35.

Skuse DH (2009) Is autism really a coherent syndrome in boys, or girls? Br J Psychol, 100 (Pt 1): 33–7.

Santosh PJ, Mandy WP, Puura K, Kaartinen M, Warrington R & Skuse DH (2009) The construction and validation of a short form of the developmental, diagnostic and dimensional interview. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, Epub: ahead of print.

Lawrence K, Bernstein D, Pearson R, Mandy W, Campbell R & Skuse D (2008) Changing abilities in recognition of unfamiliar face photographs through childhood and adolescence: performance on a test of non-verbal immediate memory (Warrington RMF) from 6 to 16 years. J Neuropsychol, 2 (Pt 1): 27–45.

McMillan D, Hastings RP, Salter DC & Skuse DH (2008) Developmental risk factor research and sexual offending against children: a review of some methodological issues. Arch Sex Behav, 37 (6): 877–90.

Mandy WP, Skuse DH (2008) Research review: What is the association between the social-communication element of autism and repetitive interests, behaviours and activities? J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 49 (8): 795–808.

Salter G, Seigal A, Claxton M, Lawrence K, Skuse D (2008) Can autistic children read the mind of an animated triangle? Autism, 12 (4): 349–71.

Skuse D, Mandy W, Steer C, Miller L, Goodman R, Lawrence K, Emond A, Golding J (2008) Social Communication Competence and Functional Adaptation in a General Population of Children: Preliminary Evidence for Sex-by-Verbal IQ Differential Risk. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, Epub: ahead of print.

Skuse DH and Slator LN (2008) Behavioural phenotypes. Psychiatry, 7: 308–13.

Boraston ZL, Corden B, Miles LK, Skuse DH, Blakemore SJ (2008) Brief report: perception of genuine and posed smiles by individuals with autism. J Autism Dev Disord, 38 (3): 574–80.

Corden B, Chilvers R, Skuse D (2008) Avoidance of emotionally arousing stimuli predicts social-perceptual impairment in Asperger's syndrome. Neuropsychologia, 46 (1): 137–47.