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Researchers Search Results
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| Name: |
Wellington, Stephen |
| Titles: |
Clinical Investigator, CFRI
Clinical Assistant, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia
Clinical Co-Director, British Columbia Autism Assessment Network and Provincial Autism Resource Centre |
| Degrees / Designations: |
B.Sc., MD, MHSc, PhD |
| Primary Area of Research: |
Developmental Neurosciences & Child Health |
| Secondary Area(s) of Research: |
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| Email: |
swellington@cw.bc.ca |
| Phone: |
604-453-8300 ext. 8264 |
| Fax: |
604-453-8390 |
| Mailing Address: |
Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
Room HT103, 3644 Slocan Street
Vancouver, BC V5M 3E8 |
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| Research Areas |
· Developmental and behavioural pediatrics
· Autism and autism spectrum disorders
· Population research
· Measurement instruments for social/communication behaviours
· Health informatics technologies |
| Summary |
|
My interests involve improving the early identification, assessment, diagnosis and intervention outcomes of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders.
Autism spectrum disorders are common (affecting about 1 in every 155 individuals), and impacts childhood development and behaviour from a very early age. Autism affects children and youth chronically in the areas of social interaction, communication and behaviour. Although genetic influences and brain development appear to play an important role, not all the mechanisms leading to autism are fully understood.
At present, there are no available medical tests that detect autism. However the diagnosis of autism can be made accurately by appropriately trained clinicians. In British Columbia, I've played a key role in developing the provincial model for providing accurate and consistent diagnoses of autism, based on international standards for autism definitions, and have been involved with provincial database designs which allow us to monitor our assessment program. |
| Current Projects |
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Pathways to Better Diagnosis and Outcomes
The University of British Columbia is a collaborator on this 5 year national multi-site project, which is investigating the developmental pathways of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Approximately 500 children in four locations across Canada will be followed from the time they receive a diagnosis of ASD (at 2-4 years of age) until they enter school (6 years of age). By identifying the factors that influence the development of these children, we hope to gain a better idea of what contributes to their health outcomes. This knowledge can then be used to guide the development of new programs and interventions for children with autism.
Accuracy and Stability of the Designation of Autism: Investigating the Clinical Application of Autism-Specific Diagnostic Instruments.
The diagnosis of autism is a clinical designation based on impairments and\or atypical features in the core domains of social interaction, communication and behaviour. Currently, there are assessment instruments used by researchers that can accurately and suitably distinguish autism spectrum disorders from other common childhood developmental disorders. Clinical versions of the same assessment tools exist, but the effectiveness of the clinical versions in establishing a determination of autism spectrum disorder has not been thoroughly explored. The results of this study will be important from both a clinical, research, and program policy perspective.
Autism Genome Project
This 4 year international multi-site project is studying multiple aspects in the investigation of genes associated with autism spectrum disorders. Within this study, my project focuses on the development of health informatics technologies that will assist in the clinical assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, as well as the management and storage of these clinical data sets. |
| Honours & Awards |
Autism Community Training's (ACT) First Annual Award for Service to the Autism Community in BC. ACT is a registered not-for-profit society who serves as a BC province-wide information and referral service created to support families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). On September 8, 2006, in recognition of the ground-breaking work that the BC Autism Assessment Network (BCAAN) has done in setting up a province-wide network of diagnostic services for children with ASD, ACT honoured the professionals around the province who make up BCAAN. On hand to receive the award were Drs. Stephen Wellington and Vikram Dua, Clinical Co-Directors of BCAAN, and Karen Kalynchuk, Program Manager. |
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