Ontario a World Leader in Autism Research
Since 2004, Ontario has committed more than $15 million to autism-related research projects.
Autism is a complicated and relatively new disorder. Researchers around the world and here in Ontario are working hard to find more answers to its cause and treatment.
As part of its plan to help more kids with ASD, Ontario is investing in leading-edge autism research. This will help to improve early detection and diagnosis of ASD and to better understand linkages with other related conditions.
"It is exciting to see home-grown Ontario research helping families dealing with autism, both here in our province and around the world. We've come a long way in just a few years, but still have a long way to go. We will only win this fight working as a unified team."
- Stephen Scherer, Director, McLaughlin Centre and the Centre for Applied Genomics, University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Learning more about what causes and triggers ASD will help Ontario develop better treatments that will help thousands of kids and their families here and worldwide.
For example, a team of researchers from around the world is currently working to learn more about the genetic causes of autism. In Ontario, Dr. Stephen Scherer at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and Dr. Peter Szatmari at McMaster University, Hamilton, are leading a team as part of the Autism Genome Project to identify the genes that make some people susceptible to autism.
This research will eventually lead to new and more accurate tests for ASD and the development of diagnostics and treatments to assist thousands of families in Ontario and worldwide. Ontario is investing over $8.9 million over five years in this project.
