The University of Washington’s Autism Center is recruiting families with children ages 4 to 18 who have been diagnosed with autism.

The Simons Simplex Collection Project focuses on families with a single case. To be eligible, both biological parents must be willing to participate and give blood samples along with their child.

In addition, if there are siblings over age 4, one would be asked to give blood, according to Dr. Raphael Bernier, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, who is directing the project.

Aside from the blood draws, the primary caregiver in families selected to participate will be interviewed about the family and the medical history of the child with autism.  Each child also will be given a diagnostic evaluation that includes cognitive and neuropsychological tests. This process takes about four hours and families will be paid $250 for their participation.

The UW and 12 other institutions in the United States and Canada are participating in the Simons study, which is designed to collect DNA samples from 2,000 families that have a child with autism.

“From studies, it appears that much of autism may be caused by spontaneous changes in the genome,” Bernier said. “We hope to use the data we and our partners are collecting to help develop interventions and treatments for the vast majority of cases of autism.”

Families that would like to volunteer for the study or who have questions may contact Emily Champoux, project coordinator, at 206-616-2889 or 1-800-994-9701.

-- Leah Beth Ward