Leonard Abbeduto, Ph.D. Abbeduto, Leonard, Ph.D. Director, UC Davis MIND Institute and Tsakopoulos-Vismara Endowed Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine Biography Dr. Abbeduto’s research at the UC Davis MIND Institute focuses on the development of language across the lifespan in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. His current projects focus on the factors accounting for variation in the course of language in children, adolescents, and young adults with fragile X syndrome, autism, or Down syndrome. These projects seek to identify the behavioral, biological, and environmental influences that shape language in these conditions. Other projects focus on the development of methods to optimize language development through parent-mediated interventions and the role of telehealth technology in the delivery of these interventions. Dr. Abbeduto’s research has been funded virtually continuously by the National Institutes of Health since 1984. He is the editor of the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, which is the flagship journal of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Abbeduto is also Director of the NIH-funded Interdisciplinary Training Conference on Developmental Disabilities, which is designed to foster an interdisciplinary approach to research on neurodevelopmental disorders in the next generation of scientists. Current Publications Journal Articles Oster-Granite, M.L., Parisi, M.A., Abbeduto, L., Berlin, D.S., Bodine, C., Bynum, D. et al. (2011) Conference proceedings: "Down syndrome: National conference on patient registries, research databases, and biobanks." Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 104, 13-22. Pierpont, E.I., Richmond, E.K., Abbeduto, L., Kover, S.T., & Brown, W.T. (2011). Contributions of phonological and verbal working memory to language development in adolescents with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorder, 3, 335-347. Finestack, L.H., Palmer, M., & Abbeduto, L. (2012). Macrostructural narrative language of adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome or fragile X syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21, 29-46. McDuffie, A., Kover, S.T., Abbeduto, L., Lewis, P., and Brown, W.T. (2012). Profiles of receptive and expressive language in males with comorbid fragile X syndrome and autism. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117, 18-32. Smith, L., Barker, E., Seltzer, M., Abbeduto, L., & Greenberg, J. (2012). Behavioral phenotype of fragile X syndrome in adolescence and adulthood. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117, 1-17. Hartley, S., Seltzer, M.M., Smith, L., Hong, J., Greenberg, J., Almeida, D., Coe, C., & Abbeduto, L. (in press). Cortisol response to behavior problems in FMR1 premutation mothers ________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________ of adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome: A Diathesis-Stress Model. International Journal of Behavioral Development. Hartley, S., Seltzer, M.M., Head, L.S., & Abbeduto, L. (in press). Psychological well-being in fathers of adolescents/young adults with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and autism. Family Relations. Kover, S.T., McDuffie, A., Abbeduto, L., & Brown, W.T. (in press). Effects of sampling context on spontaneous expressive language in males with fragile X syndrome or Down syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Venker, C., McDuffie, A., Ellis Weismer, S., & Abbeduto, L. (in press). Increasing verbal responsiveness in parents of children with autism: A pilot study. Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice. Chapters Abbeduto, L., Kover, S.T., & McDuffie, A. (in press). Studying the language development of children with intellectual disabilities. In E. Hoff (Ed.), Handbook of child language research methods. Blackwell. Abbeduto, L., McDuffie, A., Brady, N., & Kover, S. (in press). Language development in fragile X syndrome: Syndrome-specific features, within-syndrome variation, and contributing factors. In Burack, J., Hodapp, R., & Zigler, E. Handbook of mental retardation and development. Oxford University Press. Presentations Abbeduto, L. (2011, February). Language development and fragile X syndrome: Phenotype, variation, mechanisms, and treatment. Colloquium series presentation, Nisonger Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Finestack, L.H., Meghan, P., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, March). Macrostructural narrative language of adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome or fragile X syndrome. Poster presented at the Gatlinburg Conference on Research & Theory in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, San Antonio, TX. Abbeduto, L. (2011, March). Discussant for symposium entitled, “Health care disparities and diagnosis for Latinos with autism across the lifespan,” at the Gatlinburg Conference on Research & Theory in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, San Antonio, TX. Benjamin, D.P., McDuffie, A.S., Kover, S.T., Harris, S., Mastergeorge, A.M., Hagerman, R.J., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, April). A novel approach to understanding word learning in neurodevelopmental disorders. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Benjamin, D.P., McDuffie, A.S., Kover, S.T., Harris, S., Mastergeorge, A.M., Hagerman, R.J., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, May). Early word learning in neurodevelopmental ________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________ disorders: Implications for eye tracking trajectories in autism and fragile X syndrome. Poster presented at the 10th annual meeting of the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, CA. Hartley, S.L., Seltzer, M.M., Head, L., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, May). Psychological well-being in fathers of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. Poster presented at the 10th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, California. McDuffie, A., Kover, S., Benjamin, D., Mastergeorge, A., Harris, S., Hagerman, R., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, May). Word learning in boys with autism or fragile X Syndrome: Concurrent correlates of fast-mapping performance. Poster presented at the 10th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, CA. Kover, S.T., Dorrance, Smith, Porter, E.K., Richmond, E.K., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, June). Use of complex grammatical forms by male adolescents with fragile X syndrome. Poster presented at the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders, Madison, WI. Oakes, A.C., Kover, S.T., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, June). Receptive syntactic abilities of young adolescent males and females with fragile X syndrome. Poster presented at the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders, Madison, WI. Abbeduto, L. (2011, August). Presidential address, Division 33, Behavioral Phenotypes, Genetic Syndromes, and Intellectual Disabilities: Past, Present, and Future. American Psychological Association annual meeting, Washington, DC. Berry-Kravis, E.K.. Doll, E., Sterling, A., Kover, S.T., Schroeder, S.M., & Abbeduto, L. (2011, October). Expressive language sampling as an outcome measure for interventions in fragile X syndrome. Child Neurology Society Meeting, Savannah, GA. Abbeduto, L. (2012, February). Fragile X syndrome and Language development: Phenotype, variation, mechanisms, and treatment. Grand Rounds, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. Research Funding Social-affective bases of word learning in fragile X syndrome and autism. R01 HD054764 3/8/08-2/28/13, approx. $2.1 million (direct costs). Principal Investigator Cognitive precursors of language impairment in Down syndrome. R01 HD055345 2/20/09-1/31/14, approximately $2.1 million (direct costs). Co-Principal Investigator (F. Conners, University of Alabama, PI) ________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________ Parent Mediated Language Intervention for young children with fragile X syndrome: A pilot efficacy study. National Fragile X Foundation, 10/1/10-9/30/12, $75,000 (direct + indirect costs). Principal Investigator Language development in fragile X syndrome. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, R01 HD204356, 2/20/12-1/31/17, $2,600,000 (direct + indirect costs). Principal Investigator Community Service Editor, American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Member, NIH NICHD Division of Scientific review, Behavioral and Biobehavioral study section, (2010-2014) Director/Principal Investigator, Interdisciplinary Training Conference in Developmental Disabilities, R13HD05770, 7/09-7/14, $105,000) ________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________ .