Behavioral interventions

Recent articles

Photograph of a child sitting on the floor playing with blocks while an adult watches.

Sensitive test of autism treatment effects could enable comparison of different interventions

In a first, researchers used the BOSCC measure to analyze data from multiple previous studies.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
8 August 2024 | 5 min read

Crowdsourcing to curb aggression in autism: Q&A with Matthew Goodwin

To accelerate the development of real-time behavioral prediction technology, a research team is sharing data and seeking new collaborators.

By Daisy Yuhas
2 May 2024 | 6 min read
Headshot of Sara Litvak.

Head of company that accredits autism service providers resigns after article retraction

The resignation follows reporting by Spectrum and Retraction Watch in October about nonexistent references in the retracted article.

By Ellie Kincaid
29 November 2023 | 4 min read
A crumpled piece of paper atop a stack of papers against a grey background.

Article defending private-equity involvement in autism services retracted

Nearly two-thirds of the article’s references appear to not exist.

By Ellie Kincaid, Retraction Watch
19 October 2023 | 5 min read
A group of elementary school children run toward the entrance of a school, their backs turned to the camera.

Journal club: Why do some children lose their autism diagnosis?

More than one-third of a cohort of autistic toddlers no longer meet criteria for the condition at school age, according to a new study, but the findings may not generalize because the cohort is predominantly white and affluent.

By Deborah Fein
9 October 2023 | 5 min read
An illustration of Brian Boyd

Brian Boyd, classroom-based interventions and the importance of representation

The leader of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute talks about what drew him into the autism field, and his departure from — and return to — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

By Brady Huggett
1 October 2023 | 65 min listen
A young boy sits alone on a bench in a playground.

Mental health issues emerge with shifts in autism traits across childhood

Anxiety and other challenges autistic children experience may stem from an increase in social-communication issues and a decrease in repetitive behaviors from ages 6 to 11.

By Charles Q. Choi
27 September 2023 | 3 min read
Black-and-white illustrated portrait of Jonathan Green.

‘Emergent and transactional’: How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions

The experienced clinician discusses writing his recent paper, and its reception in the field.

By Brady Huggett
28 August 2023 | 1 min read
Research image of brain scans showing connections in the brain in different colors.

Statistical method improves behavioral predictions from fMRI

The framework, inspired by the polygenic risk score, considers the cumulative effect of neuronal connections.

By Holly Barker
29 June 2023 | 4 min read
A researcher works with a young child.

Two scientists, two interventions: A ‘gentle rivalry’ to aid autistic children

Minimally verbal autistic preschoolers gained new words and phrases in a head-to-head comparison of two interventions.

By Maaisha Osman
2 June 2023 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

The silent majority: How astrocytes shape the brain across scales

Melissa Cooper talks to Mac Shine about her new work that reveals how these glial cells—long dismissed as the brain’s housekeepers—wire together in precise, long-range networks that remodel in response to experience.

By Mac Shine
12 May 2026 | 3 min read
Research image showing brain activity related to sensory sensitivity and hypoconnectivity

Untangling genetic effects, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 11 May.

By Jill Adams
12 May 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of stacks of papers.

The next unit of science: Is the scientific paper due to be replaced?

Artificial intelligence is pushing scientific publishing to the brink. For a field as sprawling as neuroscience, the crisis may also be an opportunity to finally connect findings across subfields.

By Tim Requarth
11 May 2026 | 11 min read