Autism Genetics Clinic

Contact: Debbie Olson (206-598-4030)
Core Function: Clinical Services
Program: Genetics Program

The purpose of the Autism Genetics Clinic is to evaluate and diagnose the cause of autism in children and adults. A subset of patients with ASD has an identifiable genetic cause, and for those families it answers the question of “why” the child has autism. A specific cause can provide the family with information about prognosis and enable precise determination of recurrence of autism in other children in the family. The outpatient clinic visit for a new patient takes place with a physician who is a specialist in Neurology and Genetic Medicine and a genetic counselor. A three-to-four generation family pedigree is taken. A complete medical history of the child is also taken, and a physical examination is performed. Copies of any prior laboratory results, as well as any neuroimaging studies, are obtained and brought to the visit where they are reviewed. Clinic personnel then discuss their assessment and recommend any further clinical genetic tests which are typically done on blood or urine. Results are discussed with the family at a follow-up visit or by telephone, and a summary is sent to the child’s primary doctors and other providers as requested by the family. Families who seek a clinical genetic evaluation often do so for the following reasons:

1. There is family history of multiple people with ASD;
2. Other medical problems or distinctive features are present;
3. Patients have a test result that is difficult to interpret; or
4. A patient’s family is interested in genetic research studies, and comes to the clinic in order to exclude known genetic causes prior to enrolling in a research study.