Catherine Lord is distinguished professor of psychiatry and education at the University of California, Los Angeles. She specializes in diagnosis, social and communication development, and intervention in autism.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/image-archive/images/authors/celord.jpg)
Catherine Lord
Director, Center for Autism and the Developing Brain
Weill Cornell Medicine
From this contributor
Your questions about the Lancet Commission and ‘profound autism,’ answered
Tony Charman and Catherine Lord answer questions from Spectrum’s webinar on the Lancet Commission’s recommendations for autism research.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CharmanLordBubble-844.jpg)
Your questions about the Lancet Commission and ‘profound autism,’ answered
Catherine Lord: Lessons from a storied career in autism research
Catherine Lord's career has been defined by relationships: with mentors, protegees and, above all, with autistic people and their families.
![Cathy Lord in her office at UCLA](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/20191119-Lord844.jpg)
Catherine Lord: Lessons from a storied career in autism research
Measures of success for adults with autism need to mature
As children with autism grow into adults, the challenge is in measuring the skills that matter most in their daily lives.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/20151117DailyLIvingSkills-844.jpg)
Measures of success for adults with autism need to mature
Optimal outcome
Some children classified as having autism outgrow their diagnosis, but it’s not yet clear why this group does better, says Cathy Lord.
Autism and the arts: “Lucy” captures disorder‘s complexity
Itʼs not often that movies, books and plays represent science accurately, or with a true and empathetic understanding of its complexity.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/49261.jpg)
Autism and the arts: “Lucy” captures disorder‘s complexity
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.