|
|  |
Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > Faculty Experts at Washington University in St. Louis >

Assistant Professor of Social Work
Expertise: autism, social policy, research methods, human behavior and the social environment, health and society, disability studies
Bio: Paul Shattuck's research and teaching focuses on autism, social policy, research methods, human behavior and the social environment, health and society, and disability studies. He has published a number of articles on the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders recently published Shattuck's article on how autism symptoms can improve with age. Forthcoming work includes a study analyzing the financial burden on families of children with special needs.
WUSTL Contact Information:
Education:
-
B.A. in Education and Human Services at University of Massachusets- Amherst
-
M.S. in Sociology at Portland State University
-
M.S.S.W. at University of Wisconsin
-
Ph.D. in Social Welfare at University of Wisconsin

| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing 4 Stories.
|
 |
Youth with autism coming of age
 Brown School study will focus on transitions in service use and coverage for teens with autism spectrum disorders

Aug. 17,
2009 -- For teens with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, the transition to young adulthood may be especially difficult. To better understand this issue and how best to address it, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded a five-year grant to Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "This study will help us one day answer one of the most pressing issues in treating ASD," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "Bridging the gap in health care, service use, and insurance coverage as these young people leave the school systems and enter adulthood may help prevent lapses in behavioral, social, and occupational skills that they and their families have worked so hard to achieve."

|
Diagnosing autism spectrum disorders
 Research shows wide age gap between possible and actual autism diagnosis

May 4,
2009 -- "Timely identification and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can impact a child's development and is the key to opening the door to the services and therapies available to children with autism," says Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "Unfortunately, our research shows that the average age of autism diagnosis is nearly six years old, which is three to four years after diagnosis is possible." Shattuck is the lead author of an article on the timing of ASD identification in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Video available

|
Cost of raising a child with special needs: Where does your state rank?
 New study finds a family's extra cost of caring for a child with special needs varies from state to state

July 10,
2008 -- In a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, found that families with similar demographics and nature of their children's special needs have different out-of-pocket health expenditures depending on the state in which they live. "This is one of the few studies that focuses on families' costs when caring for children with special needs, rather than the overall cost for society as a whole," he says. Shattuck notes that wealthier states tend to have a lower average extra cost for caring for a child with special needs. "At the low end, families in Massachusetts paid an average of $560 for out-of-pocket medical expenses," he says. "At the high end, families in Georgia shouldered an average of $970 in additional care expenses."
Editor's note: Video and a complete rankings table are available.

|
New developments in autism research
 Study shows autism symptoms can improve into adulthood

Sept. 25,
2007 -- Hallmarks of autism are characteristic behaviors — repetitive motions, problems interacting with others, impaired communication abilities — that occur in widely different combinations and degrees of severity among those who have the condition. But how those behaviors change as individuals progress through adolescence and adulthood has, until now, never been fully scientifically documented. In a new study, published in the September Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, researchers have found that symptoms can improve with age. "On average, people are getting better," says Paul T. Shattuck, assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "It is a hopeful finding, but the fact remains that those with severe autism will depend on others for their everyday needs and care for the rest of their lives."

|
Showing 4 Stories.
|
 |
| Clips: |
Showing 3 Clips.
|
 |
Autism diagnosis may occur years late
United Press International
and 4 others

May 7,
2009 -- U.S. researchers suggest autism diagnoses are not occurring soon enough. WUSTL social work professor and study lead author Paul Shattuck comments.

|
Autism Improves in Adulthood
WebMD.com

Sept. 28,
2007 -- Most teens and adults with autism have less severe symptoms and behaviors as they get older, a groundbreaking study shows.
Not every adult with autism gets better. Some -- especially those with mental retardation -- may get worse. Many remain stable. But even with severe autism, most teens and adults see improvement over time, find Paul Shattuck, who is now a social work professor at WUSTL, and his colleagues at U. Wisconsin.
Shattuck and colleagues report their findings in the October issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

|
Autism symptoms can improve into adulthood
SpiritIndia.com (India)
and 2 others

Sept. 26,
2007 -- A U. Wisconsin-Madison report says that how the hallmark behaviors of autism change as individuals progress through adolescence and adulthood has, until now, never been fully scientifically documented. In a new study, published in the September Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, researchers have found that symptoms can improve with age.
WUSTL social work professor Paul Shattuck, who is the first author oof the paper, comments on the study.

|
|
|  |
|