Ongoing Research Support
- Emergence, Stability and Predictors of Anxiety in Fragile X Syndrome, National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH107573) 2016-2022
- This NIH funded research is a longitudinal developmental study of the early features of anxiety in very young boys with FXS contrasted to boys diagnosed with ASD (non-FXS) and typical controls. The aim is to determine which initial features of anxiety can be detected and the stability and prognostic value of these early symptoms to diagnostic categorization across two populations associated with ID and at high risk for anxiety.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Co-Investigators: Amanda Fairchild, Frederick Shic, & Kim Hills
- Emergence and Stability of Autism in Fragile X Syndrome, National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH090194) 2016-2023
- This project is an extension of initial infant study to longitudinally track the onset of autism through preschool in fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and typical controls.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Co-Investigators: John Richards, Svetlana Shinkareva, Kim Hills, Bridgette Tonnsen
- Emergence and Stability of Autism in Fragile X Syndrome – Down Syndrome Supplement, National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH090194-08S1) 2018-2023
- This supplement expands the scope of the parent award to include a contrasting sample of infants and young children with Down syndrome contrasted to fragile X syndrome, autism, and typical controls that are available through the parent award.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Co-Investigators: Abigail Hogan, Elizabeth Will, Jessica Bradshaw
- Language Development in Fragile X Syndrome, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (5R01HD024356-20) 1987-2023
- This NIH funded research is a longitudinal investigation of language development in adolescent and young adult males with fragile X syndrome. The aims are to characterized the course of development of language from adolescence and into young adulthood in fragile X syndrome and to identify the psychological, environmental, and biological factors that lead to more or less favorable trajectories of language in individuals with fragile X syndrome.
- PI: Leonard Abbeduto
- Co-Investigator: Jane Roberts
- Early Developmental Determinants and Pathways in Down syndrome, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (K99HD105980) 2021-2023
- The goal of this project is to characterize the developmental dynamics between early phenotypic impairments in motor and attention during infancy and examine their mutual or distinct role in communication and cognitive outcomes using a multimethod biobehavioral approach. Results from these studies will constitute advanced phenotyping approaches to better understand the developmental complexity in Down syndrome.
- PI: Elizabeth Will
- Mentor: Jane Roberts
- A Longitudinal Outcome Study of the Symptom Progression and Diagnostic Stability of Autism in Children with Down syndrome, Lejeune Foundation Advanced Research Grant, 2022-2024
- This project aims to access developmental trajectories and diagnostic stability of autism spectrum disorder in children with Down syndrome.
- PI: Elizabeth Will
Completed Research Support
- Early Features of Autism Risk in Down Syndrome, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (F32HD097877) 2018-2021
- This F32 fellowship focuses on the characterization of early signs of autism in infants and young children with Down syndrome with a focus on motor and attention through a biobehavioral approach.
- PI: Elizabeth Will
- Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Trauma Exposure, Emotion Regulation and Cognitive Skills in Early Childhood: Prospective and Longitudinal Examination of the Mechanisms of Adjustment, National Institute of Mental Health (2R01MH079252-06) 2009-2022
- This renewal application designed to extend the findings of R01 MH079252-03 that successfully tested and modeled the relation between potential protective factors and mental health outcomes for a sample of 302 youth in foster care over three time points.
- PI: Yolanda Jackson
- Co-Investigator: Jane Roberts
- Emergence and Stability of Autism in Fragile X Syndrome, National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH090194-01A1) 2011-2016
- The purpose of this NIH funded research study is to identify behavioral features and biomarkers that predict autism severity in infants with the FMR1 mutation (full mutation and premutation) and disassociate features from those with idiopathic autism.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Co-Investigators: John Richards, Svetlana Shinkareva
- Profiles and Predictors of Pragmatic Language Impairments in the FMR1 Premutation, National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders (1F32DC013934-01)
- This NIH funded research study aims to clarify the nature, underlying mechanisms, and functional consequences of pragmatic (i.e., social language) impairments in the FMR1 premutation. This work will inform the range of features that may be attributable to FMR1-related genetic effects and has implications for potential prevention and treatment efforts.
- PI: Jessica Klusek
- Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Gesture Development as an Early Marker of Communication Deficits in Children with Fragile X, University of South Carolina, Magellan Scholars
- This grant supports an undergraduate research assistants, Ms. Hughes, to engage in mentored research examining gesture development in infants with fragile X syndrome.
- PI: Killian Rainey Hughes
- Co-faculty Mentor: Jessica Klusek
- Factory Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Maternal Anxiety and Child Language Outcomes in Fragile X, University of South Carolina Science Undergrad. Research Fellowship (SURF)
- This grant supports an undergraduate research assistant, Ms. Porter, to engage in mentored research examining the impact of maternal anxiety on language outcomes in adolescents with fragile X syndrome.
- PI: Anna Porter
- Co-faculty Mentor: Jessica Klusek
- Factory Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Pragmatic Nonverbal Communication in Women with the FMR1 Premutation, University of South Carolina, Science Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
- This grant supports an undergraduate research assistant, Ms. Cantu, to engage in mentored research examining nonverbal communication in women with the FMR1 premutation.
- PI: Christina Cantu
- Co-faculty Mentor: Jessica Klusek
- Factory Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Delayed Language Development and Atypical Visual Attention in Infants at High Risk for Autism, University of South Carolina, Magellan Scholars, 5/1/2013-4/30/2014
- This grant supported two undergraduate research assistants, Ms. Herron and Ms. Mazur, to engage in mentored research examining the relationship between language development and disorganized attention in infants at high risk for autism.
- PI’s: Aimee Herron & Erica Mazur
- Co-faculty Mentor: Jessica Klusek
- Factory Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Behavioral and Biomarkers of Attention in High Risk Infants, National Institute of Mental Health (1F31MH095318)
- This study characterized the development of aberrant attention in autism by integrating cognitive and developmental neuroscience methods within a multiple-group, prospective longitudinal design. Methods included computerized attention orienting and visual preference paradigms integrated with concurrently measured heart-defined sustained attention. Patterns of behavioral and biomarkers are compared across high risk infant siblings of children with autism (ASIBS), high risk infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), and low risk controls; thus informing the etiological specificity of early attention indicators of autism.
- PI: Bridgette Tonnsen
- Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Autism Risk and Attention Disengagement, University of South Carolina, Magellan Scholars
- This grant supported an undergraduate student, Ms. Deal, to engage in mentored research on attentional engagement in infants at risk for autism.
- PI: Sara Deal
- Graduate Student Mentor: Bridgette Tonnsen
- Faculty Mentor: Jane Roberts
- Emergence and Stability of Autism in Fragile X Syndrome, National Institute of Mental Health (3R01MH090194-02S1)
- The goal of this administrative supplement was to advance the development of biomarkers for use in clinical and basic research.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Provost Institute for Visiting Scholars, University of South Carolina
- This grant enabled an international scholar, Dr. Joe McCleery from the University of Birmingham, to collaborate with Drs. Roberts and Richards on typical and atypical social-emotional, social-communicative and language development in autism and fragile X syndrome.
- Co-PI: Jane Roberts
- Promising Investigator Research Award, University of South Carolina, Office of Research and Graduate Education
- The goal of this study was to conduct a pilot study and refine methodology for a large scale study on the early identification of autism in fragile X syndrome.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Social Sciences Grants Program Award, University of South Carolina, Office of Provost
- This grant supported the PI’s program of research including graduate student assistance, collection of pilot data, analysis and publication of extant data focused on the early detection of autism in fragile X syndrome and idiopathic (non-FXS) autism.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Research Development Grant Award, South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Program Administration, Office of the Governor
- The objectives of this study were to support the PI’s candidacy for a large-scale grant award to study the emergence of autism in high-risk populations through collaboration with experts in statistical and methodological design and collection of pilot data.
- PI: Jane Roberts
- Molecular – Clinical Relationships in FXS, National Fragile X Foundation
- This project investigated the relationship of multiple molecular variables to measures of cognition, behavior, and mental health outcomes in children and their carrier mothers.
- PI: Jane Roberts
