"Open, yeah, let's try!"
Randi Hagerman: "I am Dr. Randi Hagerman and I'm the Medical Director of the MIND Institute."
Tony J. Simon: "I'm Tony Simon, and I'm the
Randi Hagerman: "This tells people in the U.S. that the MIND Institute is on the cutting
edge or the leading edge"
Tony Simon - "It places us at the pinnacle of the centers that are doing this kind of
work."
Leonard Abbeduto - "It really allows us to move our translational science agenda forward
more quickly. We'll accelerate our progress toward treatments for families."
Randi Hagerman: "I am Dr. Randi Hagerman and I'm the Medical Director here at the MIND
Institute."
Tony J. Simon: "I'm Tony Simon, and I study young people who have chromosome 22q11.2 deletion
syndrome."
Judy Van de Water: "I'm Judy Van de Water and I work on the immunobiology of autism"
Isaac Pessah: "I'm Isaac Pessah and I'm a neurotoxicologist investigating neurodevelopmental
disorders."
Leonard Abbeduto: "And I'm Len Abbeduto, and I'm the Director of the UC Davis MIND Institute."
Leonard Abbeduto: "So the IDDRC network has been around for over 40 years and it really
was an outgrowth of the Kennedy Administration and it was championed by Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
And it really was focused on trying to accelerate progress toward understanding and treating
and improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities."
Tony Simon: "So the IDDRC is the intellectual and developmental disabilities research center
and it's one of a a network of about 15 other centers throughout the country."
Leonard Abbeduto: "It provides funding for a really innovative treatment study that we're
going to do [Researcher addressing child: "You want bounce,
or roll?] that brings resources to us that allows us
to create shared resources and services to support all of the research projects here
at the MIND Institute. [Researcher to child "Push, push, push, push." ]. And then the
third thing that the IDDRC designation does for us is that it really connects us to the
network of IDDRCs around the country. [Researcher to child:Do you want to give one to mommy?']
Elizabeth Dykens: "I do know that within the MIND are some of the best minds in the field.
[developmental disabilities research]. [Walking researchers: "You're talking about cognitive
control and reward."] Those collaborations are already happening."
Judy Van de Water: "UC Davis has amazing resources. We have a Veterinary School; a Medical School;
Biomedical Engineering, all of these resources that can work together to address these problems."
Tony Simon: "So there are many experts in many other departments who are already
part of the UC Davis research community some of whom are already MIND Institute faculty
[Simon to child: "Very good!"] We've now built that right into the core structure of
the IDDRC."
Isaac Pessah: "The real problem is bringing together an interdisciplinary team to solve
the complex developmental disorders.
[Physician to family: "And it's something that we have to investigate and we have to
go through a different route."]
Fred Meyers: "I to see a shift from treating patients with the autisms to
prevention and early diagnosis, not just at the university, but throughout the communities
in California and the nation."
Leonard Abbeduto: "I think the MIND Institute has changed lives from its inception because
of the vision of the founding families."
Sarah and Chuck Gardner: "Hey buddy! Hey Mike! Hi big boy, how're you doing?!"
Chuck Gardner: "Our hope is still that one day we're going to find a treatment that will
make his life better. I mean we've never given up on that."
Sarah Gardner: "Well it became really obvious that to us early on when our son was diagnosed
that there wasn't a lot going on in the world of autism. [listening to music on television]"
Chuck Gardner: "When our son was diagnosed he was about 2-1/2 years old."
Sarah Gardner: "We were told to institutionalize him. That there was no hope."
Chuck Gardner: "And we just decided to dream big and we went well, why don't we figure
out how to cure autism?"
Sarah Gardner: "People saw the need. They knew that there are families with children
in this community that need help desperately."
Chuck Gardner: "Our greatest hope for the MIND Institute is that it achieves its vision."
Sarah Gardner: "The designation is huge. It speaks volumes about the people that we have
in that building. Where their hearts, minds and souls are every single day when they walk
through those doors. [Researcher to child: "You are being so patient, you are working
that well."
Leonard Abbeduto: "I think it really just says a lot about the talent of our scientists,
about the extent to which they have collaborated and what they've achieved so far."
Isaac Pessah: "If we could identify one or two factors that could mitigate the problems
that children with developmental disorders face, that would be our greatest accomplishment."
Judy Van de Water: "We are changing the face of autism. I think that we are actually ahead
of that curve. [Researchers in booth: "It's only the food. He doesn't pick up his food,
he doesn't feed himself."]"
Fred Meyers: "We're changing lives, we're changing individual lives, and we're changing
public health. And that's the passion and commitment we have."
Randi Hagerman: "The MIND Institute is for sure changing lives and bringing happiness
to families as we improve the treatment for so many of these kids."
Sarah Gardner: "Would I like to be able to say sitting here right now that we have a
cure for autism? Yes. But I believe that we'll be able to do it."