Current Research Studies

If you have a son or daughter with fragile X syndrome in or entering the last year of high school, you and your child are invited to participate in a research study being conducted by Dr. Leonard Abbeduto at the Laboratory on Language Development in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at the UC Davis MIND Institute and two other sites across the United States.

The goal of the study is to learn more about how certain abilities (e.g. memory), certain types of experiences (e.g. interactions with family), and biology affect language abilities in adulthood for both males and females with fragile X syndrome. We are also interested in understanding how these factors and language/literacy skills affect the abilities of these young adults to function independently. Such information will help us suggest ways to improve teaching and therapy techniques for these individuals.

If you are interested in participating in this study, you and your son or daughter will be asked to participate in 4 assessment visits over a 3-year period. Two visits will be completed at one of our study sites and two will be completed from home. During these visits some assessments will be done directly with your son/daughter, some assessments will be done directly with you, and we will ask you to provide some additional information about your son/daughter. Travel costs will be reimbursed.

If you have a son or daughter with Down syndrome ages 2-7, you and your child are invited to participate in a research study being conducted by Dr. Angela John Thurman at the Laboratory on Language Development in Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis and three other sites across the United States. Participants will also be seen at Colorado State University, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Louisville.

 The goal of this research study is to learn more about how samples of early communication and spoken language skills can be used to measure change over time in communication/spoken language, problem solving, and behavior in individuals with Down syndrome. In the future, it is possible that measures of early communication skills may be useful as one way to learn whether different medications or behavioral interventions can help individuals with Down syndrome learn to use language more effectively.

 If you are interested in participating in this study, you and your son or daughter will be asked to visit one of our study sites 3 times over a 1-year period. During these visits, your child will participate in a variety of activities to help us learn more about his or her communication skills and problem-solving abilities. Some of these activities will be more structured and some will be more play based. We will also conduct some interviews with you and ask you to fill out some questionnaires to learn more about your child.

If you have a son or daughter with Down syndrome ages 2-7, you and your child are invited to participate in a research study being conducted by Dr. Angela John Thurman at the Laboratory on Language Development in Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis and three other sites across the United States. Participants will also be seen at Colorado State University, Children's Hospital Colorado, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The goal of this study is to validate measures of early executive function tailored to young children with Down syndrome. Researchers are hopeful that these may be used as outcome measures for future treatments or interventions in this population.

If you are interested in participating in this study, you and your son or daughter will be asked to visit one of our study sites 4 times over a 1-year period. During these visits your child will participate in a variety of activities to help us learn more about his or her early cognitive development, including working memory and planning. We will also ask you to fill out some questionnaires to learn more about your child in his or her daily life.

Families will receive a $50 honorarium from a national retail store for each visit to the MIND Institute. Travel-related expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with UC Davis policies.