Purpose:
To study the use of Vitamin D as a method of intervention to prevent the recurrence of autism in newborn siblings in families with at least one child with autism.
Description of study:
Pregnant mothers will be started on daily Vitamin D3. The mother will have the dose of Vitamin D increased after the baby is delivered if the mother breast feeds the baby.
If the mother bottle feeds the baby, the newborn will be given a small daily dose during the first year and increased during the second year.
The participants will receive all supplies of Vitamin D free of charge.
Travel expenses will not be paid by the study.
The costs of all study procedures and tests will be paid by the grant.
Families will have access to lab results.
There is no other compensation for participation in the study.
We are recruiting 40 mothers and 40 newborns to be in each of these studies.
Inclusion criteria:
- Families will have at least one previous child with a diagnosis of autism.
- The mother either will be pregnant or will intend to get pregnant in the near future.
- Both newborn males and females will be included in the study.
- The study subject will be the newborn sibling of the child with autism in the family.
- A child with a diagnosis of autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS), or High Functioning Autism will meet criteria.
Exclusion criteria:
- The child with the diagnosis of autism should not be a child with Asperger’s Syndrome.
- A child with mental retardation, who does not have autism, would be excluded.
- Conditions that will not be included in the study: Children with Rett’s Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome or other syndromic conditions.
- Pregnancy is late in 3rd trimester, after pregnancy week 26.
Remote Participation:
For participants who do not live in the Portland Oregon area, we can work with you via phone, Skype and email for communication.
Principal Investigator(s) :
- Gene Stubbs MD PC
Location(s) :
- Evergreen Center, 516 High Street, Oregon City, OR 97045
Contact Details :
- Gene Stubbs, MD PC (stubbsgene@comcast.net)
- Kathy Henley (henleyjks@att.net)
- Phone : 503-351-9255
- Fax : 503-722-4450
Known Funding Sources :
Download a copy of the vitamin d Study brochure 6-29-2010
Download a copy of the consent form.
First Published Here : 8/5/2010
