Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory

How the Hawk-IDDRC is helping to bridge the gap between clinical care and basic science research

Clinician, researcher lead new intellectual and developmental disabilities research center Q&A with Ted Abel and Lane Strathearn, leaders for one of only 15 federally funded intellectual and developmental disabilities research centers in the country.

An interesting conversation on our current understanding of autism - from causes, interventions, policy and politics! University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital

Rounding@IOWA: 49: Neuroscience Informing Healthcare, Education, Support Services and Public Policy for Those with Autism Join Dr. Clancy and his guests to discuss research of, genetics of, and interventions for autism and other neurodiverse conditions. We'll also hear about the impact on families and ways we can support those with autism. Gerard Clancy, MD Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs Professor of Psychi...

Here is a new review paper exploring how genetics and early social experience may contribute to the likelihood of autism.

The Intersection of Genome, Epigenome and Social Experience in Autism: Exploring Modifiable Pathways for Intervention The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased substantially over the past two decades with current research unable to fully account for this dramatic increase in prevalence. One explanation proposes that both intrinsic (e.g., genetic) and extrinsic (e.g., environ...

BabySteps app helps us gather data in support of earlier autism diagnosis and treatment.

Mobile app helps researchers identify developmental delays and diagnose autism among young children It’s downloadable for iPhone and android and allows families to upload videos and pictures of their child within their home.

Here is an overview of our work at the Center for Disabilities and Development.

2021 Center for Disabilities and Development Annual Report Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu’s millions of monthly readers. Title: 2021 Center for Disabilities and Development Annual Report, Author: ui...

Some more information about our study on early epigenetic markers of autism, which will be part of the new Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (Hawk-IDDRC). The National Institutes of Health is providing over $6 million over 5 years to support our work.

University of Iowa autism research center launches amid growing diagnosis concerns A new autism center at the University of Iowa aims to take on rising diagnoses.

A new Center has just been created to support research into intellectual and developmental disabilities: the Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center — or Hawk-IDDRC.

New University of Iowa center focuses on autism Six-million-dollar grant will enable the launch of a new UI Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, or Hawk-IDDRC.

Assessing the problem of drug addiction requires a deeper look into early life trauma. Our new review paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry gives an overview of the topic.

Pathways Relating the Neurobiology of Attachment to Drug Addiction Substance use disorders constitute a significant public health problem in North America and worldwide. Specifically, substance addictions in women during pregnancy or in the postpartum period have adverse effects not only on the mother, but also on mother-infant attachment and the child’s subseque...

Mothers with addiction problems also struggle with parenting their infants. Is this driven by the drug abuse, or by her own past experience of trauma? We are using functional MRI and the Adult Attachment Interview to find out!

Unresolved trauma can have a profound influence on parenting. Is there a way back?

Unresolved Trauma and Reorganization in Mothers: Attachment and Neuroscience Perspectives The onset of motherhood is characterized by significant psychological and neurobiological changes. These changes equip the mother to care for her new child. Although rewarding, motherhood is also an inherently stressful period, more so for mothers with unresolved trauma. Past research has looked at....