College Station, Texas — A student researcher from the University of Mississippi decided to join a study being conducted by Texas A&M Associate Professor and Department of Veterinary Pathobiology researcher Dr. Scott Dindot— so he could help his 17-year-old brother who was diagnosed with autism when he was around one and a half to two years old.
For Dylan Ritter, being a part of this particular research by Dr. Dindott is personal— he wants to do something that can help make his brother’s life better. He told that as Travis was diagnosed so young, it was just something that he grew up with. He further tells:
“And so, it wasn’t ever really anything too drastic. It was just, he didn’t walk when he was supposed to, he was crawling for longer. We couldn’t communicate with him as easily.”
Dr. Dindot was rather amused when Dylan asked if he could join the research for his brother. He told:
“From a scientific perspective, I think it’s an interesting field because of the breadth of the genes that are associated with autism. Then from the translational side of things, it’s a very meaningful thing to do because so many people are affected by it.”
Dylan couldn’t be happier when Dr. Dindot welcomed him onboard, saying that is was an honour.
The researchers hope to come up with something that will help individuals on the spectrum deal with their condition through the study. According to Dylan he just wants to help those individuals who are affected by autism.
Source: KBTX.com: Kathleen White: Focus at Four – Autism Research