Buitelaar to speak on outcomes of comprehensive autism study

April 6, 2006

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The University of California, Davis, M.I.N.D. Institute will host Jan Buitelaar, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Radboud University, The Netherlands, on Wednesday, April 12, in the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute auditorium, 2825 50th St., Sacramento, as part of its fourth annual Distinguished Lecturer Series. Schultz Buitelaar will present two lectures: a technical presentation at 4 p.m. and a community-interest lecture at 6 p.m. Both presentations are free and open to the public; no reservations are necessary.

During his technical presentation at 4 p.m., Buitelaar will present results from studies on the reliability and stability of psychiatric diagnoses, attachment and joint attention conducted as part of a large population-based screening for autism spectrum disorders in very young children. During the 6 p.m. community-interest lecture, he will discuss the implications of these results for clinical practice and treatment. 

Buitelaar is a distinguished clinician and researcher, having made significant contributions to understanding autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder. He is involved in a number of complex studies of these disorders that employ psychopharmacological, psychophysiological, neuroimaging, epidemiological and genetic approaches. A prolific speaker and writer, Buitelaar has published over 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to serving on the advisory boards and as a reviewer for multiple scientific journals, he is currently the chief editor of the prestigious journal European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Buitelaar is the seventh of nine distinguished lecturers in the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute's 2005-06 series.

Upcoming speakers are Charles Nelson, Harvard University (May 10); and Sally J. Rogers, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute (June 14), who replaces the previously scheduled Gary Mesibov.

The Distinguished Lecturer Series is funded in part by the SBC Foundation. For more information about this and future lectures, visit the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Web site at  www.mindinstitute.org  or call (916) 703-0280. 

The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute is a unique collaborative center for research into the causes and treatments of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, fragile X syndrome and learning disabilities.