Alisa Opar is a California-based science writer and the articles editor at Audubon magazine.
Alisa Opar
Freelance writer
Simons Foundation
From this contributor
In search of truce in the autism wars
The fight between those who define autism as a medical condition and those who see it as a mere difference has reached vitriolic levels. Can the two sides come together to support all autistic people?
New group faces backlash over its goals for severe autism
A new advocacy group for people with severe autism taps into the deep divide in the community over who should speak for those on the spectrum.
New group faces backlash over its goals for severe autism
By
Alisa Opar
4 February 2019 | 6 min read
How to help low-income children with autism
Autistic children from low-income families are undercounted and underserved, a gap community leaders are working to bridge.
The healthcare system is failing autistic adults
Adults on the spectrum frequently have a range of other conditions — but they rarely get the help they need.
Why children with ‘severe autism’ are overlooked by science
Children with ‘severe autism’ are the most in need of help, yet the most overlooked in research. A new initiative is making them the primary focus.
Why children with ‘severe autism’ are overlooked by science
By
Alisa Opar
18 October 2017 | 21 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions
Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.
Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions
Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.
By
Natalia Mesa
3 June 2026 | 11 min read
What counts as a ‘naturalistic’ behavior?
Nedah Nemati explains how neuroscience methods and the lived experience of the scientists themselves shape how we define the behaviors we seek to explain.
What counts as a ‘naturalistic’ behavior?
Nedah Nemati explains how neuroscience methods and the lived experience of the scientists themselves shape how we define the behaviors we seek to explain.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
3 June 2026 | 1 min read
Allen Institute sets sights on treatments for five brain diseases
The Brain Health Accelerator program aims to harness single-cell transcriptomics and cell-type-specific genetic tools to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Lewy body dementia and ALS.
Allen Institute sets sights on treatments for five brain diseases
The Brain Health Accelerator program aims to harness single-cell transcriptomics and cell-type-specific genetic tools to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Lewy body dementia and ALS.
By
Calli McMurray
2 June 2026 | 5 min read