0:00
/

Illustration by
Richard A. Chance
Diagnosing autism with Catherine Lord
In this inaugural episode, Lord discusses her entry into autism research, what the future of the field might look like and how drama club saved her in high school.
By
Brady Huggett
1 April 2023 | 1 min read
Catherine (Cathy) Lord is distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. She co-developed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview — key diagnostic tests for autism. In this inaugural episode of “Synaptic,” Lord discusses her entry into autism research, what the future of the field might look like and how drama club saved her in high school.
Read the transcript.
Recommended reading

Timothy Ryan on his pivotal switch from studying particle physics to decoding synaptic transmission
By
Brady Huggett
1 October 2024 | 70 min listen
Explore more from The Transmitter

Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
By
Laura Dattaro
30 June 2025 | 4 min read

Astrocytes sense neuromodulators to orchestrate neuronal activity and shape behavior
By
Claudia López Lloreda
27 June 2025 | 9 min listen
Cite this article: