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Spectrum is the go-to destination for the latest news and analysis about autism research and a springboard for scientists and clinicians to forge collaborations that deepen our understanding of autism.

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ASF Research Symposium
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We’re all speaking with one voice, and that one voice is saying these plans are simply not acceptable to any part of the autism community. — HELEN TAGER-FLUSBERG, PROFESSOR EMERITA OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

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“Widening the autism spotlight”
By MENG-CHUAN LAI IN SCIENCE
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Spectrum

The perils of parachute research

Scientists who study autism in lower-income countries are working to end practices that exploit or ignore collaborators and communities on the ground.

By Linda Nordling
6 June 2024 | 11 min read
Research video of a zebrafish larva (zoomed in on the gut) being given glucose.
Spectrum

On the periphery: Thinking ‘outside the brain’ offers new ideas about autism

Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
13 April 2023 | 20 min read
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Research image of neurite overgrowth in cells grown from people with autism-linked PPP2R5D variants.

Cortical structures in infants linked to future language skills; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 19 May.

By Jill Adams
20 May 2025 | 2 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

SHANK2 variants in people; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 May.

By Jill Adams
13 May 2025 | 1 min read
Fred Volkmar, in a blue shirt, in front of wall of framed certificates in his office, wearing a blue shirt.

How pragmatism and passion drive Fred Volkmar—even after retirement

Whether looking back at his career highlights or forward to his latest projects, the psychiatrist is committed to supporting autistic people at every age.

By Claudia Wallis
8 May 2025 | 10 min listen
Research image of functional connectivity in a human brain.

Altered translation in SYNGAP1-deficient mice; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 May.

By Jill Adams
6 May 2025 | 2 min read
Research image of neural progenitor cells.

Documenting decades of autism prevalence; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 28 April.

By Jill Adams
29 April 2025 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Multisite connectome teams lose federal funding as result of Harvard cuts

The teams aim to develop tools to scale up mouse connectomics in preparation for eventually mapping an entire human brain.

By Angie Voyles Askham
28 May 2025 | 5 min read

Learning in living mice defies classic synaptic plasticity rule

Donald Hebb’s theory—memorably summarized as “cells that fire together, wire together”—does not explain the shifting hippocampal connections in mice learning to navigate a virtual environment, according to a new study.

By Sydney Wyatt
28 May 2025 | 5 min read
Judit Pungor and Angelique Allen stand in front of a saltwater tank.

Cephalopods, vision’s next frontier

For decades, scientists have been teased by the strange but inaccessible cephalopod visual system. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough from a lab in Oregon, data are finally coming straight from the octopus brain.

By Calli McMurray
27 May 2025 | 13 min read