Caltech Hosts Autism Forum

PASADENA, Calif.— In the 1990s, the number of children receiving services for autistic disorders is estimated to have risen by 556 percent. This astounding increase has raised the profile of this disease, and a panel of experts will address many different issues concerning autism at the California Institute of Technology's Biology Forum 2001, "Autism: Deciphering the Puzzle," at 8 p.m., April 20, in Beckman Auditorium at Caltech in Pasadena. It is free and open to the public.

The speakers will be Catherine Lord, director of the developmental disorders clinic at the University of Chicago; Edwin H. Cook, director of the laboratory of developmental neuroscience and the deputy director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Chicago; Eric Courchesne, professor of neurosciences at the University of California at San Diego; and Karin B. Nelson, senior investigator in the Neuroepidemiology Branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

These experts will address such topics as the genetics of autism, pathology, imaging, development and testing.

The Biology Forum is sponsored by the California Institute of Technology and co-sponsored by the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group.

The moderator is Los Angeles Times science writer Robert Lee Hotz.

For details, call (626) 395-4652 or 1-888-222-5832. Persons with disabilities can call (626) 395-4688 (voice) or (626) 395-3700 (TDD) weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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CONTACT: Jill Perry, Media Relations Director (626) 395-3226 jperry@caltech.edu