Charles A. Nelson

Research director
Boston Children's Hospital

Charles A. Nelson is professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and director of research at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Developmental Medicine Center.

From this contributor

Spectrum

By Charles A. Nelson

26 June 2018

4 min read

How separating children from parents causes irreparable harm

Science teaches us that housing children in institution-like settings is likely to cause severe and permanent damage to their minds and bodies.

Spectrum

How separating children from parents causes irreparable harm

By Charles A. Nelson

26 June 2018 | 4 min read

Spectrum

By Charles A. Nelson

25 April 2017

6 min read

Romanian orphans reveal clues to origins of autism

Understanding autism features in children who were deprived of social contact as infants could offer clues to the condition.

Spectrum

Romanian orphans reveal clues to origins of autism

By Charles A. Nelson

25 April 2017 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Spectrum

By Jill Adams

10 November 2026

2 min read

Scans of brains using the OPM-MEG method.

Language development during the first 1,000 days; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 November.

Spectrum

Language development during the first 1,000 days; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 November.

By Jill Adams

10 November 2026 | 2 min read

Reviews

By Daniel Graham

10 November 2026

6 min read

Illustration of brain with many connecting lines.

What ‘Brain Flows’ gets right

Michael W. Cole’s new book makes a convincing case that the dynamic movement of signals underpins just about everything the brain does, though it misses mention of relevant theoretical and single-cell work.

Reviews