Autism is a common disease impacting a large number of patients, families, and healthcare providers. Many factors may contribute to the development of autism, but genetics clearly plays a prominent role. This course will give an overview of research supporting the role of genetics in autism so that clinicians will be able to provide more accurate information to patients and families.

Understanding the genetic etiology of autism impacts patient care through diagnostic genetic testing. This course will describe clinically available genetic tests related to autism. Identifying a specific cause of autism in a patient results in a more specific diagnosis and facilitates more accurate genetic counseling about recurrence risk in future pregnancies for the parents of a child with autism. Clinicians will gain a better understanding of which tests are appropriate for particular patients with autism spectrum disorders.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1 hours to complete.

COST: $20.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
By completing this course, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the types of genetic changes that contribute to autism
2. Differentiate between the various genetic testing options for autism
3. Determine the influence genetic test results will have on genetic counseling

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
By completing this course, participants will:

1. Identify which genetic tests are available and appropriate
2. Acquire strategies for talking with patients about genetic testing for autism
3. Calculate the recurrence risk based on the results of genetic testing
4. Determine when referral to a medical geneticist is appropriate

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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DAVID MILLER, MD, PhD Course Director

David T. Miller, MD, PhD is a medical geneticist and clinical molecular geneticist at Children's Hospital Boston, and an Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and residency/fellowship in medical genetics at Harvard Medical School. He is board-certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics, and Clinical Molecular Genetics. His clinical, research, and teaching activities are focused on improving patient care through genetic testing to facilitate better understanding of the molecular causes of genetic syndromes. His areas of interest include: children with developmental disabilities, especially autism spectrum disorders; neurofibromatosis; and progeroid laminopathies. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant relationships with commercial entities.

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HARVEY P. KATZ, MD Reviewer

Harvey P. Katz, M.D., is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Dr. Katz is the Director the HMS Primary Care Division. Dr. Katz is a pediatrician with a subspecialty in pediatric endocrinology. Residency training was at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and endocrine fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Katz has a long-standing interest in teaching and patient-clinician communication. He is author of Telephone Medicine: Triage and Training for Primary Care (FA Davis, 2001) and co-author of the online continuing education course, The Role of the Telephone in Clinical Medicine: Reducing Liability and Improving Care (www.rmfce.com). Dr. Katz is also deputy director of Pri-Med, Current Clinical Issues in Primary Care, the Harvard CME course in primary care, which is conducted in Boston and six other venues across the country. 200,000 Primary Care Clinicians have enrolled since its inception in Boston in 1995. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

SHARYN LINCOLN, M.S., C.G. Reviewer

Sharyn Lincoln is a licensed genetic counselor at Children’s Hospital Boston. She contributes to the diagnostic evaluation of patients referred to a busy tertiary care genetics service and provides counseling services to patients and families. Ms. Lincoln is also the genetic counselor and Program Coordinator for the Fragile X Program at Children’s Hospital Boston. She received her Masters degree in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University. Ms. Lincoln was a member of the Autism Consortium, and was involved in multiple research studies sponsored by the Consortium. She has also been involved in clinical trials for fragile X syndrome and Angelman syndrome. Ms. Lincoln provides teaching to the residents of the Harvard Medical School Genetics Training Program. She coordinates observations for first-year genetic counseling students from Brandeis University and has been on thesis committees for students at Brandeis University and Boston University. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

RAMI NASIR, MD, PHD Reviewer

Dr. Nasir is an Attending Physician in Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

JONATHAN PICKER, MD Reviewer

Jonathan Picker is an attending physician based in the Clinical Genetics division and the dept of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston. He directs the CHB Fragile X Multidisciplinary Program. This program integrates state-of-the art clinical care with translational research. In relation to this, he is the chairman of the Clinical & Professional Development Committee of the National Fragile X clinical and research consortium, as well as being a member of this group's steering committee, charged with guiding research and clinical direction in this area. Clinically, he also practices general genetics with an emphasis on behavior. Teaching and education are focused on the role of single gene disorders as seminal biological clues to understanding behavior. In addition to these commitments at CHB, he also mentors the Brandeis University’s Genetic Counseling program’s master level student’s projects, particularly those involving psychosocial aspects of genetics. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

ERIN HARVEY, MSC, CGC Planner

Erin K. Harvey, MSc, CGC, was the Assistant Director of Education for Partners Healthcare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) from 2008 to 2011. She is a board-certified genetic counselor and has worked with a wide range of primary healthcare professionals in the development of genetics-related, case-based continuing medical education (CME). In addition to being the series editor for PCPGM’s genetics CMEs, she coordinated an advanced human genetics course for Harvard Medical School’s Clinical Genetics Residency training program. In 2011, she accepted a position with Genzyme as a Scientific Communications Principal for the Personalized Genetic Health division. Prior to joining PCPGM, Ms. Harvey spent five years with the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, and was seconded for one year to the United Kingdom to help a similar organization there – the National Genetics Education and Development Centre – create genetics resources for the UK’s nationalized medical education curriculum. Ms. Harvey received her master’s degree in science in 2003 from the Johns Hopkins University/National Institutes of Health joint genetic counseling training program. She received a B.A. in English Writing from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas in 1993, and worked as a journalist prior to pursuing a career in the biological sciences. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 1 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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