BOWLING GREEN, O. -- In observance of Brain Awareness Day, three distinguished scholars will give presentations about autism Friday, March 19, at Bowling Green State University.

Two BGSU researchers and a University of Michigan psychiatrist will speak at the 7 p.m. program in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater. Sponsored by the University's J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind & Behavior and the departments of psychology and biological sciences, the program is free and open to the public.

Dr. Lynne Hewitt, an assistant professor of communication disorders at Bowling Green, will give a presentation titled "Communicative Development in Autism: Research to Practice." Hewitt's research interests and expertise are in child language development and disorders, particularly the relationship between language and cognition.

Dr. Jaak Panksepp, a BGSU Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of psychology, will speak on "The Psychology of Social Affiliation: Animal Models of Autism." Panksepp is an internationally known neuroscientist who has done significant research on autism. His latest book, "The Textbook of Biological Psychiatry," was released by Wiley Publishers last October.

The final speaker, Dr. Luke Tsai, M.D., will offer "An Update on Neurobiological Findings and Treatments: Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorder." Tsai is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and director of the Development Disorders Clinic at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He is the author of several books, including "Taking the Mystery Out of Medications in Autism/Asperger's Syndromes," published in 2001 by Future Horizons.

The Autism Society of America describes autism as a complex developmental disability that typically appears in children under 3 years of age. Its cause is still unclear. The neurological disorder affects how the brain functions and develops. Those afflicted have difficulty with communication, social interaction and leisure or play activities.

(Posted March 16, 2004)