Helen Root, MA

Helen Root

Undergraduate School
University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Graduate School
University of Alabama at Birmingham

 

Interests and Career Goals

My clinical and research interests revolve around the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), genetic syndromes commonly comorbid with ASD, behavioral phenotyping, and early intervention. My long-term career goal is to be a clinician focused on assessment, intervention, and consultation for ASD and related disorders.

Favorite Pastimes

My current pastimes include cooking, reading, spending time with friends and family, and spending time outdoors (especially on or near water).

Why I chose Duke

I chose Duke’s Clinical Child – Autism track due to the fantastic opportunities for both breadth and depth, especially at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. I have the opportunity to strengthen my skills in diagnosis and treatment of ASD as well as focus on my skills in supervision of both assessment and evidence-based intervention related to ASD. I am also very excited to continue to receive breadth of training through the ADHD Program and Family Studies Program and Clinic.

Research

My research interests include differential diagnosis and behavioral phenotyping of ASD, especially within genetic syndromes commonly comorbid with ASD.

Principal Investigator (2020 – present), Dissertation, Autism Spectrum Disorder Database Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Dissertation Title: Prevalence and phenotype of autism spectrum disorder within Pitt Hopkins Syndrome
  • Description: This dissertation project examines the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder as well as the broader developmental phenotype of individuals with a rare genetic disorder commonly described as “autism-esque”, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS). The study included a semi-structured phone interview followed by in-person study visit. Measures included those related  to autism spectrum disorder (e.g., ADOS-2, ADI-R, DSM-5 Checklist), cognition (e.g., Bayley-4), language (e.g., MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories), motor (e.g., VMI), and parent-reported behaviors (e.g., PEDI-CAT, PedsQL Family Impact Module, RBS-R, ABC, DBC).
  • Responsibilities: Served as a research-reliable administrator of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) and administered all other study measures. Additional responsibilities include scoring and tracking evaluation data, summarizing results in a brief clinical report, managing scheduling and study proceedings, and supervision of undergraduate and graduate students. Dissemination of research via conference presentation and manuscript preparation.

Lab Manager (2019 – 2022), Graduate Student Research Assistant (2018 – 2022), Preventing epilepsy using Vigabatrin in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex (PREVeNT), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: administer yearly neuropsychological evaluations (e.g., Bayley-3, PPVT, VMI, Vineland-3) to infants (aged 0-3 years) with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); serve as a research-reliable administrator of the Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2), Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA), and Bayley Infant Scales of Development, Third Edition (Bayley-3); score and track evaluation data, summarize results in a brief clinical report, manage scheduling and study proceedings.

Lab Manager (2019 – 2022), Graduate Student Research Assistant (2018 – 2022), Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) Determinants in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) -  Developmental Synaptopathies Consortium, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: administer yearly neuropsychological evaluations (e.g., SB-5, Mullen, PPVT, EVT, VMI, CPT) to children and adults (aged 4-50 years) with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); serve as a research-reliable administrator of the Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2); score and track evaluation data, summarize results in a brief clinical report, manage scheduling and study proceedings, provide feedback to medical team and families, provide vertical supervision to graduate student research assistants.

Lab Manager (2019 – 2022), Graduate Student Research Assistant (2018 – 2022), TSC Autism Center of Excellence Research Network (TACERN) Longitudinal study to identify infants with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and potential EEG biomarkers and antiepileptogenic strategies for epilepsy in TSC, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: administer yearly neuropsychological evaluations (e.g., SB-5, Mullen, PPVT, EVT, VMI, CPT) to children and adults (aged 0-4 years) with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); serve as a research-reliable administrator of the Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2); score and track evaluation data, summarize results in a brief clinical report, manage scheduling and study proceedings, provide feedback to medical team and families, provide vertical supervision to graduate student research assistants.

Lab Manager (2019 – 2022), Graduate Student Research Assistant (2017 – 2022), Autism Spectrum Disorder Database Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: manage lab by training and coordinating undergraduate and graduate research assistants on lab procedures and individual projects, organizing and examining data fidelity, and monitoring lab productivity and goal-setting; complete retrospective chart review, data collection, and data entry from Civitan-Sparks clinical database (Access) for a collaborative project involving children seen in the ASD clinic at the Civitan-Sparks Clinics; collaborate with lab members to design studies, analyze data, and prepare posters and manuscripts; conduct research on restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Graduate Student Research Assistant (2017 – 2022), Pitt Hopkins Research Study, Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: manage project as lead graduate student by conducting data collection, organizing and examining data fidelity, and conducting data analysis on a study examining the clinical manifestations of individuals (aged 0-21 years) with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS); completed structured phone interviews and the Vineland-2 Interview Form with parent participants to assess adaptive skills and symptoms of ASD of their child with PTHS.

Graduate Student Research Assistant (2019 – 2020), Efficacy of a visualizing reading intervention in improving the brain’s reading network in children with autism, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL.

  • Responsibilities: administered a battery of neuropsychological assessments (e.g., WASI-II, DTLA-5, EVT-2, PPVT-4, GORT-5, Symbol Imagery test, SORT-R3, TOPS-3E, WRAML-2, WRMT-III) to individuals with ASD and reading comprehension difficulties (aged 7-13 years) to screen for eligibility in an intensive reading intervention; served as a research-reliable ADOS-2 administrator.

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2013 – 2017), Cognition and Action Lab, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst MA.

  • Conducted an independent honors thesis titled “The effect of sleep extension on sleep physiology and behavior of young children”.
  • Responsibilities: worked one-on-one with a graduate researcher on a project assessing the effect of disrupted sleep of children with ADHD; worked with a team of undergraduate and graduate researchers on an NIH funded project assessing the effects of daytime naps on learning and memory of preschool-aged children; presented multiple formal research presentations and posters; project design, participant recruitment, data collection, entry, and analysis.

Research Intern (2016), Neurodevelopmental Disorders Phenotyping Program, Hanson Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston MA.

  • Conducted an independent project titled “Onset, regression, and restricted and repetitive behaviors”.
  • Responsibilities: worked with a team of research assistants on multiple studies that specialize in phenotyping neurodevelopmental disorders, more specifically, ASD and other rare neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., TSC, PMS, PTEN); administered and observed standardized assessments that assess all aspects of behavior; observing, administering, and scoring standardized assessments, data collection and entry, project management, statistical analysis.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Cremone, A., Root, H., Harvey, E.A., McDermott, J.M., & Spencer, R.M.C. (2019). Effects of sleep extension on inhibitory control in children with ADHD: A pilot study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(4), 601-610.
  • Spencer, R.M.C., Campanella, C., de Jong, D.M., Desrochers, P., Root, H., Cremone, A., & Kurdziel, L.B.F. (2016). Sleep and behavior of preschool children under typical and nap-promoted conditions. Sleep Health, 2, 35-41.

Manuscripts Submitted for Publication

  • Root, H., O’Kelley, S., Bebin, M., Biasini, F., Northrup, H., Wu, J., Krueger, D., Sahin, M., on behalf of the TACERN and RDCRN Study Groups (under review after revise and resubmit). Restricted repetitive behaviors in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and tuberous sclerosis complex.
  • Guest, K., O’Kelley, S., Root, H., Sweatt, D., & Rahn, E. (under review). Development, behavior, and adaptive functioning of individuals with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome: What intervention services are accessed.

Manuscripts in Preparation            

  • Root, H., Abdul-Chani, M., Arnold, Z., Cottle, J., Hilty, T., Guest, K., & O’Kelley, S. (in preparation). Factor structure of restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals referred for autism spectrum disorder assessment.
  • Arnold, Z., Root, H., Leoncyzk, C., Morgan, C., O’Kelley, S., & Guest, K. (in preparation). Case study of higher-functioning individual with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome.
  • Hilty, T., Root, H., O’Kelley, S., & Guest, K. (in preparation). Predicting age at evaluation: symptom severity and motor functioning in a sample referred for an autism evaluation.
  • O’Kelley, S., Guest, K., Root, H., Rahn, E., & Sweatt, D. (in preparation). Prevalence of symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder among individuals with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome.
  • Abdul-Chani, M., Morgan, C. H., Root, H., Simms, L., & O’Kelley, S. E. (in preparation). The moderating effects of child development knowledge on parental experience and ASD outcomes.
  • Abdul-Chani, M., Brisendine, A., Root, H., O’Kelley, S. & Guest, K. (in preparation). Factors influencing receipt of an autism diagnosis in clinically-referred females.

Other Press

Roberts, AN (2020). Rooting for Root. Featured by Civitan Magazine.

Oral Presentations

  • Root, H., O’Kelley, S., Bebin, M., Northrup, H., Wu, J., Krueger D., Sahin M., on behalf of the TACERN and RDCRN study groups. Differential presentations of restricted repetitive behaviors in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex and autism spectrum disorder. Oral presentation accepted to the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA. (conference canceled).
  • Root, H., O’Kelley, S., Bebin, M, on behalf of the TACERN study group (2019, October). Restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals with comorbid tuberous sclerosis complex and autism spectrum disorder. Oral presentation at the Alabama Psychological Association (aPA) Annual Convention, Orange Beach, AL.

Poster Presentations

  • Brinkley, T.*, Root, H., O’Kelley, S., Guest, K. (2021, July). Prediction of autism diagnosis by gender in a clinical sample of preschoolers. Poster virtually presented at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Virtual Summer Expo (COVID-19).
  • Root, H., Morgan C., Guest, K. & O’Kelley, S. E. (2021, May). Characteristics of individuals with parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder within Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. Poster virtually presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Remote (COVID-19).
  • Cottle, J., Arnold, Z., Root, H., Guest, K. & O’Kelley, S. (2021, May). An analysis of gender differences in autism spectrum disorder diagnostic symptom presentation in a tertiary care clinic. Poster virtually presented at the International Society for Autism Research Meeting, Remote (COVID-19).
  • Root, H., Prendergast, K., Keller, C., & Gowey, M. (2021, April). Parent psychosocial characteristics in pediatric overweight and obesity. Poster virtually presented at the Society for Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Remote (COVID-19).
  • Boileau N. R., Root, H., Thompson K. A., Rudolph, A., Fobian A., Weiser, P., Stoll, M. & Goodin, B. R. (2021, April). Sleep quality is a strong predictor of pain interference than pain severity in adolescents with rheumatic conditions. Poster virtually presented at the Society for Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Remote (COVID-19).
  • Keller, C., Hopper, R., Root, H., Prendergast, K., & Gowey, M. (2021, April). Assessing potential change in parent and child executive function after a family-based treatment for pediatric overweight/obesity. Poster virtually presented at the Society for Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Remote (COVID-19).
  • Morgan, C.H., Root, H., Frazier, J.T., Guest, K.C., & O’Kelley, S.E. (2020, February). Qualitative injury profile for individuals referred for autism spectrum disorder assessment. Poster presented at the Alabama Autism Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL.
  • Arnold, Z.*, Hilty T.*, Cottle, J.*, Root, H., O’Kelley, S., & Guest, K. (2020, February). Sensory sensitivities and their relationship to restricted repetitive behaviors in children referred for an autism spectrum disorder assessment. Poster presented at the Alabama Autism Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL.   
  • Morgan, C. H.*, Frazier, J.*, Root, H., O’Kelley, S. E., & Guest, K. C. (2019, October). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Diagnosis as a potential predictor for childhood injury. Poster presented at the Behavior Health Research Symposium, Birmingham, AL.
  • Morgan, C. H.*, Frazier, J.*, Root, H., O’Kelley, S. E., & Guest, K. C. (2019, October) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Diagnosis as a potential predictor for childhood injury. Poster presented at the Alabama Psychological Association (aPA) Conference, Orange Beach, AL.
  • Root, H., O’Kelley, S. E., Bebin, M., Northrup, H., Krueger, D., & Sahin, M., on behalf of the TACERN study Group (2019, May). Restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals with comorbid tuberous sclerosis complex and autism spectrum disorder. Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research 2019 Annual Meeting, Montreal, CA.
  • Abdul-Chani, M. M., O’Kelley, S. E., Brisendine, A., Root, H., & Guest, K. C. (2019, May). Comorbidity in females referred for clinical autism spectrum disorder (ASD) evaluation. Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research 2019 Annual Meeting, Montreal, CA.
  • Root, H., Lebersfeld., J. B., Guest, K. C., & O’Kelley, S. E. (2019, March). Restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals referred for autism spectrum disorder evaluation. Poster presented at the 2019 Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Baltimore, MD.
  • Root, H., Abdul-Chani M., Guest K., & O’Kelley, S. (2019, February). Factor structure of restricted and repetitive behaviors of individuals referred for autism spectrum disorder assessment. Poster presented at the 2019 Alabama Autism Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL.
  • Wolfner, C.*, Root, H., O’Kelley, S., Guest, K. (2019, February). Sensory processing abnormalities among children referred for an autism spectrum disorder evaluation. Poster presented at the 2019 Alabama Autism Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL.
  • Root, H., Lebersfeld, J., Guest, K., & O’Kelley, S. (2018, October). Restricted repetitive behaviors of individuals referred for autism spectrum disorder assessment. Poster presented at the Alabama Psychological Association (aPA) Annual Convention, Orange Beach, AL.
  • Root, H., Hickey, P., Attar, S., & Hanson, E. (2017, May). Earlier age of onset is associated with more amounts and more severe restricted and repetitive behaviors. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Francisco, CA.
  • Root, H., Cremone, A., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2017, April). The effect of sleep extension on sleep physiology and behavior of typically developing children. Poster presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Research Conference, Amherst, MA.
  • Root, H., Cremone, A., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2016, June). The effect of socioeconomic status on sleep among preschool-aged children. Poster presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Associated Profession Sleep Societies, Denver, CO.
  • Campanella, C., de Jong, D. M., Desrochers, P., Root, H., Cremone, A., Kurdziel, L. B. F., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2016, June). To nap or not to nap? Examining sleep behaviors in preschool children under typical and nap-promoted conditions. Poster presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Associated Profession Sleep Societies, Denver, CO.
  • Root, H., Cremone, A., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2015, October). Effects of disrupted sleep on daytime sleepiness among young children with ADHD. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the New England Psychological Association, Fitchburg, MA.
  • Root, H., Kurdziel, L., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2013, October). The role of napping on subsequent learning and emotional processing in preschool children. Poster and oral presentation at the Meeting for the Freshman Research Experience, Amherst, MA.

Invited Talks

  • Root, H. (2020, March). Epilepsy. Guest lecture for PY415 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
  • Root, H. & O’Kelley, S. (October, 2019). Clinical Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. AWF Civitan District Fall Meeting, Zoom Meeting.
  • Root, H. & O’Kelley, S. (August, 2019). Clinical Activities and Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Civitan Cardinal District Annual Convention, Zoom Meeting.