Jane Roberts, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Professor
Dr. Roberts’ program of research is to examine developmental outcomes in infants and
young children with neurodevelopmental disorders with a specific emphasis on early
markers of autism in fragile X syndrome. Autism is a devastating and common developmental
disorder and a major public health concern. Fragile X syndrome is the leading genetic
cause of autism and is associated with moderate intellectual disabilities, attention
problems and anxiety. Thus, the study of autism and fragile X syndrome offers the
opportunity to advance our understanding of underlying biological, cognitive and behavioral
mechanisms that affect these population, the general community and school systems
more broadly. The majority of her work takes a family systems perspective and utilizes
a prospective longitudinal design involving multiple measures from the at-risk child
and family. She is very interested in measurement and employ psychophysiological,
genetic, cognitive, developmental and psychiatric measures in my work. Much of Dr.
Roberts’ work draws extensively from theories and methods from developmental neuroscience,
and she has active collaborations with colleagues across multiple disciplines at USC
and across the country including colleagues at UNC Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University,
and at the MIND Institute in Sacramento.