Individuals with ASD have a wide range of strengths and weaknesses. ASD is a complex neurobehavioral disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, rigid routines and repetitive behaviors and limited activities and interests.

This educational series has been developed to provide a comprehensive overview of ASD with the goal of developing an understanding of the disorder and promoting optimal outcomes and compassionate care for these individuals and their families. This activity will discuss how genetic and environmental factors contribute to ASD and what researchers have discovered regarding the genetic variation of ASD, along with other key findings in the genetic research in ASD.

Learning objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss the role of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to ASD.
• Identify the wide range of genetic variation involved in ASD including gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.
• Review the current status and key findings of genetics research in ASD.

Presenter
Stephan J. Sanders, BMBS, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
San Francisco, CA

About the presenter
Dr. Sanders trained as a pediatric physician in the UK before pursuing a research career in genomics and bioinformatics. His work has helped characterize the role of de novo mutation in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identified multiple ASD risk loci including duplications of the 7q11.23 William’s Syndrome region (Sanders, et al. Neuron. 2011) and mutations in the sodium channel gene SCN2A (Sanders, et al. Nature. 2012). His work on the integration of CNV and exome data across multiple ASD cohorts recently identified 71 ASD risk loci (Sanders, et al. Neuron. 2015). In addition, he worked as part of a group that integrated spatiotemporal gene expression data from the human brain with these ASD-associated genes (Willsey, et al. Cell. 2013). This approach has implicated deep layer glutamatergic neurons in the frontal cortex during mid-fetal development in the causation of ASD. His lab has three main research questions: 1) Understanding the genetic basis of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular ASD; 2) Understanding how these genetic factors lead to the disorders; and 3) Understanding the mechanism of that leads to the male bias in ASD diagnosis, in particular through identifying the biological basis of the female protective effect.

Planners
Robin K. Blitz, MD
Senior Medical Director
Special Needs Initiative
UnitedHealthcare
Phoenix, AZ

Sarah Chart, RN
Senior Director
OptumHealth Education
Eden Prairie, MN

Rebecca Gleason, RN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education
Eden Prairie, MN

Melanie Majerus
Director, Special Needs Initiative
UnitedHealthcare
Eden Prairie, MN

Tina Rydland, PharmD
Crystal Clear Rx
Denver, CO

Disclosures of relevant financial relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support^SM, OptumHealth Education (OHE) requires all those in the control of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or his/her spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services relate to the activity content. OHE ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Ms. Chart and Ms. Gleason have indicated that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.
The remaining activity faculty or planners have no financial relationships to disclose.

Method of participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity. For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education (CE) credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

• Completing the entire activity; and
• Completing the pre- and post-activity assessments, activity evaluation and application for certificate of credit.

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking "Begin" and viewing the "CE Info"; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under "My Account," "My Activities."

Accreditation statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare. OptumHealth Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit designation statements
This activity was planned by and for the health care team, and learners will receive 1.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 1.00 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.

Nurse practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy technicians
This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hour ([0.10] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.00 contact hour.
Unique Activity Number(s): 0860-9999-18-016-L04-P/T

Physicians
OptumHealth Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PAs
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

AAPC-certified coders
AAPC will honor 1-for-1 CEUs for any live event offering CME credit or AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. A certificate of attendance or completion is necessary to show participation. The certificate will give the total CMEs possible for the offering. Physicians are advised to claim only the actual hours that they were present during the education. We ask that AAPC-certified members abide by this request also. One hour of instruction is worth 1 CEU.

Case managers
The Commission for Case Manager Certification has approved this program for a maximum of 1.00 clock hour(s) for Certified Case Managers (CCM).

Counselors, psychologists, social workers and/or marriage and family therapists
This event is co-sponsored by R. Cassidy Seminars.

Satisfactory completion
Participants must have attended the entire Web-based activity and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate. Partial credit is not available.

Psychologists
R. Cassidy Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. R. Cassidy Seminars maintains responsibility for this program. 1.00 CE hour.

Social workers
R. Cassidy Seminars, ACE provider #1082, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) Program. R. Cassidy Seminars maintains responsibility for the program. Approval Period: April 15, 2018–April 15, 2021. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Social workers participating in this course will receive 1 continuing education clock hours.

Counselors and/or marriage and family therapists
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA and ASWB for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists and Social Workers.
IL: Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #168-000141, (1) hours.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for (1) clock hour, #RCST110701.
TX: Approved CE Sponsor through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists, Provider #151, 1 CE hour.
Other States: If your state is not specifically listed, nearly all state counselor and MFT boards accept either APA or ASWB approval, or are reciprocal with other state licensing board approvals, such as those listed below. Check with your board to be sure. The Ohio board includes counselors and MFTs.

Disability access
If you require Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, please contact our office 14 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.

Please note: Licensing boards change regulations often and, while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board's approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been preapproved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization from which they wish to obtain credit.

Provider
This activity is jointly provided by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare.

Commercial support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.

Hardware/software requirements
To view this activity, you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+ or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable any pop-up blocking software prior to beginning this activity.