Metachromatic Leukodystrophy

ScreenPlus is a consented, multi-disorder pilot newborn screening program implemented in conjunction with the New York State Newborn Screening Program that provides families the option to have their newborn(s) screened for a panel of additional conditions. The study has three primary objectives: 1) define the analytic and clinical validity of multi-tiered screening assays for a flexible panel of disorders, 2) determine disease incidence in a large newborn population, and 3) assess the impact of early diagnosis on health outcomes. Over a nine-year period, ScreenPlus aims to screen 100,000 infants born in eight high birthrate hospitals in New York for a flexible panel of rare genetic disorders. This study will also evaluate the Ethical, Legal and Social issues pertaining to NBS for complex disorders, which will be done via online surveys that will be directed towards ScreenPlus parents who opt to participate and qualitative interviews with families of infants who are identified through ScreenPlus.