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About the Work Group on Autism Research and Training

Message from the Directors

A Vision for Impacting Autism 

Welcome to the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training, or K-CART. In 2007 several University of Kansas scientists and clinicians began discussing what the university could do to focus and bolster research and training to address the needs of children and adults with autism and their families in Kansas and beyond. Parents and community members in Kansas City, Lawrence and across the state echoed the need for a visible and active bi-campus KU autism research center. Together, we have watched with concern the growing numbers of children identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders, now estimated at 1 in 150 children. 

Since our planning began, we have made significant progress in launching a major autism initiative at the University of Kansas and to solicit input from our communities. Deb Kamps and Matt Reese

  • In September 2007 the University sponsored a community forum on autism at the KU Edwards Campus, publicly announcing the K-CART initiative to the community. An impressive panel from Kansas and Missouri representing parents, physicians, faculty, researchers and the Autism Speaks organization shared a vision for addressing the needs of autism services and research.
  • Soon after, more than 40 KU faculty and staff joined K-CART as collaborating university partners. All of these individuals work with families who have children with autism through research, clinical services or teacher-training programs. These partners bring national and international expertise in autism and developmental disabilities, child development and psychology, pediatrics, psychiatry and more, and meet with the K-CART leadership regularly to provide input and respond to a multitude of requests for assistance from family members, educators and service providers. A key goal of K-CART is to increase clinical services for children and adults with autism, including the use of tele-medicine technology.
  • In April 2008 more than 50 parents and relatives of persons with autism participated in K-CART-convened focus groups. They told us what was working well for their children, what they saw as their future needs, and their interests in training. We plan to conduct several more focus groups across the region to further reach out to families.
  • K-CART members have served on the Autism Task Force established by the Kansas State Legislature to report on the needs of persons with autism in the state. K-CART also secured funds through the Kansas State Social and Rehabilitation Services for K-CART to conduct experiential training for service providers and families receiving funding from the Medicaid Autism Waiver. This project, Autism Training Program, will rapidly impact quality services across the state.
  • The K-CART Executive Committee and its partners have continued to aggressively submit grants to federal agencies to fund research and training efforts. Such funding supports new knowledge and discovery of scientifically- based evidence to serve persons with autism and developmental disabilities. More than 28 projects directly or indirectly related to autism have been already been funded through government grants and private sources to investigators affiliated with K-CART. We expect increased collaboration across disciplines and campuses to increase our autism research and training portfolio.   
  • Through the efforts of Steve Warren, Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies, and the expert credentials of our partners, both KU and KU Medical Center campus leaders have committed their support to the vision of the K-CART initiative and committed $1 million dollars over a 5-year period to support start up activities. Included in this package are dollars to fund pilot studies for KU investigators to stimulate new discoveries regarding autism causes, screening tools, and treatment for the disorder. These seed funds are critical to increasing research to support new knowledge in the field and use of best practices.
     
  • In September 2008, four pilot grants were awarded to nine investigators across KU and KUMC campuses: Pupillary Responses and Neural Activation to Face and Non-Face Pictures in Children with ASD (Savage, Anderson, & Colombo); Hormones and DNS Methylation in Autism (Ellerbeck & Jacobson); Validating Relationships between Behavior Patterns and Neurological Profiles as a Method for Characterizing Individual Differences in Children with Asperger Syndrome (Dunn, Popescu, & Gustafson); Examining AAC systems and a Script Based Peer-Mediated Intervention for Preschoolers with Autism (Thiemann & Brady).

  • To support the long-term commitment to the autism initiative, KU Endowment is beginning an effort to secure funds to support the operations of K-CART. The KU Life Span Institute has recently received a bequest of approximately $1 million dollars from the estate of Wanda and Tom Pyle. As a challenge to the surrounding community, the director of the Life Span Institute has assigned this new endowment to support K-CART under the condition that members of our community come forward with additional funding.
  • These are exciting times. We have a vision for the future – to make a difference in the lives of people with autism across the life span, from early detection to adulthood. Committed to the highest standards of scientific rigor, K-CART strives to generate new research discoveries to prevent and treat ASD and to ensure the dissemination of research-based best practices throughout the state and region by training professionals and paraprofessionals who serve children and adults with autism and their families.
  • We greatly appreciate the time and energy of our community and our partners who have enabled us to launch K-CART. We invite you to support and join us as we move forward with this historic initiative. Help us provide hope, resources and answers for the children and adults with autism and their families across the Heartland and beyond. 

 

Sincerely,

Debra Kamps, Director
Matt Reese, Co-Director

October 2008