The Etiology of Autism and NICHD Research- The Longitudinal Cohort Study of Environmental Effects on Child Health and Development

The following is part of the slide presentation given by Marie Bristol-Power, PhD, who serves as the Special Assistant for Autism, in the Office of the Director at the NICHD, at the March 8, 2001, meeting of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Immunization Safety Review Committee.

The Longitudinal Cohort Study of Environmental Effects on Child Health and Development is a long-term study that will be conducted by the NICHD and other National Institutes of Health, the CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal and private industries.

Why a longitudinal study?

• Links between many exposures and children's health have not been adequately investigated (especially mixtures of different exposures).
• Infers causality between environmental exposures and health problems.
• The study will include a life-stage effort to track the timing of exposures and the timing of outcomes.
• Typical studies are limited in size and scope.
• This study can serve as a national resource for other studies.

Aims of the study:

• Do environmental agents affect the health and development of children?
• How do environmental agents (timing, mixtures, interactions) affect children's health and development?
• Are certain conditions exacerbated by environmental exposures?

Children may have increased vulnerability to environmental exposures.

• Children have critical windows of vulnerability during development, during which time environmental exposures could be more influential.
• Children have immature mechanisms for detoxification, which could leave them ill-prepared to handle some environmental exposures.
• Differences in metabolism and behavior in children may yield higher exposure than for adults who live in the same environment.

Information about The Longitudinal Cohort Study of Environmental Effects on Child Health and Development.

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