Epidemiological Research on Autism in China

描述(申请人提供)：本申请中提出的规划和试点研究活动旨在围绕中国自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的流行病学研究建立合作关系和研究能力。约翰霍普金斯大学布隆伯格公共卫生学院的自闭症和发育障碍流行病学中心(Cadde)将与北京大学生殖与儿童健康研究所(IRCH)合作。Cadde目前在美国参与了多个大型、以人群为基础的自闭症流行病学项目，IRCH在中国开展基于人群的产前、儿童健康和发育障碍研究方面有着长期的记录，包括与美国合作者合作的重大项目。自闭症是一种严重的脑源性发育障碍，在发达国家的患病率似乎在上升，但在中国这个拥有6.8亿14岁以下儿童的国家，其患病率基本上是未知的。ASD是一种病因不明的非常复杂的疾病，似乎涉及多个上位基因和潜在的基因-环境相互作用。在遗传背景和暴露分布可能与已研究的人群不同的人群中开展研究工作，应该会加快揭示重要的可遗传和非遗传风险因素的进展。根据计划拨款，美国-中国团队将：1)开发在山东潍坊地区实施自闭症患病率研究的可行方法；2)制定将患病率研究扩展到基于人群的病因学研究的战略；以及3)开展试验性研究活动，为这一研究进展提供信息。试点活动将包括翻译和改编ASD筛查和诊断工具，以及在潍坊市潍城区实施使用新改编工具的有限规模患病率研究。这将允许对征聘和数据收集过程进行实地测试，并通过专家审查对适当的筛选/诊断方法进行评价。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The planning and pilot research activities proposed in this application are intended to build collaborative relationships and research capacity around the conduct of epidemiological research of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in China. The Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology (CADDE) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will team with the Institute of Reproductive and Child Health (IRCH) at Peking University. CADDE is currently engaged in a number of large, population-based ASD epidemiology projects in the US and IRCH has a long track record of conducting population-based prenatal, child health, and developmental disabilities research in China, including major projects partnering with US collaborators. ASD is a severe, brain-based developmental disability whose prevalence appears to be on the rise in the developed countries but whose prevalence in China, a nation including 680 million children under age 14, is largely unknown. ASD is a very complex disorder of unknown etiology that appears to involve multiple epistatic genes and potential gene-environment interaction. Launching research efforts in populations where the genetic background and exposure distributions may differ from populations already studied should hasten progress toward revealing important heritable and nonheritable risk factors. Under the planning grant, the US-China team will: 1) develop a feasible approach for implementing an ASD prevalence study in the Weifang area of Shandong Province; 2) develop a strategy for expanding the prevalence study to a population-based etiologic study; and 3) conduct pilot research activities informing this research development. Pilot activities will include translation and adaptation of ASD screening and diagnostic tools as well as implementation of a limited-scale prevalence study in the WeiCheng District of Weifang that uses the newly adapted tools. This will allow for both field-testing of recruitment and data collection processes and evaluation of the adapted screening/diagnostic methods through expert review.