Buffalo, NY - Almost 40 years after autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was officially identified, little remains known about what it means to age with autism and what the neurological disorder looks like in older adulthood. A new grant from the National Institute on Aging may help reverse that trend.
Awarded to the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius and the Department of Psychology, the $379,731 grant will fund a two-year study to examine the relationship between aging in ASD in older adults. Research will be conducted by study investigators Jennifer Lodi-Smith, PhD; Jonathan D. Rodgers, PhD; James P. Donnelly, PhD; Christopher Lopata, PsyD; and Marcus Thomeer, PhD.
“This grant enables Canisius researchers to extend their contributions to the science of ASD and their expertise on aging so as to better understand this understudied and underserved population,” says Margaret C. McCarthy, PhD, vice president for academic affairs.
Researchers also plan to test the viability of personality traits as indicators of aging outcomes with the aim of identifying targets for future interventions.
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Click here to learn more about this study and the work being done by the Canisius professors who received the grant.
