Researchers study how youth with autism learn

CALGARY – Researchers at the Alberta Children’s Hospital are hoping to shed light on how adolescents and young adults with autism learn.

Researchers believe a better understanding of brain function in people with autism could help create more effective training programs for them, thus improving independence, employment opportunities and quality of life.

READ MORE: Ground-breaking ceremony held for new autism family centre

They’re using MRIs and EEGs to compare brain activity of 62 teens and young adults with autism, and 62 without.

The brain scans are taken while they’re engaged in computer tasks and while viewing pleasurable or unpleasurable images.

“In people with autism spectrum disorders, there may be some abnormalities in brain circuitry that contribute to differences in learning,” says principal investigator Dr. Signe Bray.

READ MORE: Autistic boy, 12, eagerly waits to go back to school

“One of the theories is that the brain’s reward system – which is critical for facilitating learning – operates differently in people with autism,” adds Dr. Bray.

It remains unclear what the exact causes of autism are, but scientists suspect there could be a number of risk factors, including genes, environmental effects, or early injury to the brain.

About one child in 68 is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It is more common in boys than girls and there is no known cure.

Interested in participating?

Researchers are currently looking for teens and young adults between the ages of 14 to 20. If eligible, they undergo testing on three separate visits to Alberta Children’s Hospital, including an MRI and EEG.

For more information about the study, phone 403-955-7440 or visit the website at http://www.asdbrainresearch.ca/.