Consortium for Autism, Neurodevelopmental Disorders & Digestive Diseases

A collaboration between patient advocacy groups, scientists, clinicians, and research organizations that is focused on addressing gastrointestinal dysfunction in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.

Thank You for a Great Conference!

Thank you for making our virtual conference such a success! We had over 200 interested parents, caregivers, patient advocacy representatives, doctors and researchers register for two days of talks from a diverse group of speakers.  We heard from people who experience the difficulties of GI distress in their own families as well as doctors who are leading the way in the treatment and diagnosis of GI dysfunction in NDDs. Researchers in biology, neurology, and public health discussed the need for new measures and diagnostic tools and the current efforts to develop them. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and the expertise and enthusiasm of our speakers, especially the families whose stories remind us of why this research is so important. If you want to keep in touch, email us. Hopefully this is just the beginning.

Missed the Conference? Catch Up Here!

We understand that attending the full conference live is not always an option for people with busy lives. We are making the recordings of the talks given at the conference available here as well as on our CANDID YouTube page.

Watch Videos

Hear from experts in the fields of GI and NDDs

Want a 25 minute synopsis?  Listen to the July 11 ASF weekly science podcast to get a summary of all meeting talks from ASF Chief Science Officer Alycia Halladay.

 

We’re at INSAR!

In May of 2023, CANDID members headed to Stockholm, Sweden for the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). In our poster presentation, Challenges in Understanding GI Dysfunction in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, we discuss the need to develop approaches to GI assessment and treatment that are better suited to the particular needs of the NDD community. You can download a copy of our poster presentation, as well as presentations by some of the researchers who participated in the CANDID conference in June, below.

Are you a clinician, researcher, or other professional who is interested in the intersection of GI dysfunction and neurodevelopmental disorders? Are you interested in participating in informal workgroups centered around the topics of measurement development, medical education, and data repositories? Please email info@candidgi.com to get connected.

Welcome to CANDID!

CANDID is multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers, medical professionals and patient advocacy groups who recognize the growing needs of families struggling to understand and manage gastrointestinal issues in their loved ones.

 

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders may experience a level of GI dysfunction that significantly impacts their overall quality of life. Families can feel disheartened by the current lack of available resources and frustrated when pervasive and disruptive GI issues are dismissed as “just part of the NDD.”

 

CANDID brings together a diverse network of stakeholders to identify current problems, promote scientific research, and educate clinicians and caregivers. We are striving to identify cross-cutting, gene and gene-agnostic approaches to understand mechanisms of underlying GI issues in neurodevelopmental disorders and promote innovation in therapeutic development. We are also dedicated to gathering data and listening to people and families who are experiencing GI issues within the larger context of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Beginning with our conference and survey study and continuing with our scientific workgroups, we hope to eventually be able to bring these issues to the forefront of the research and medical communities and emphasize the need for more funding for the development of new treatments and measures for these problems.

 Questions? Want to know how to get involved? Fill out the form below or contact info@candidgi.com

 

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Our Partners and Sponsors

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by Grant #1R13TR003938-01 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and co-funding IC’s NICHD and NINDS. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.