Best Autism Science Foundation Podcasts (2024)

1
Recurrence rates for families with an ASD child 14:36

1h ago14:36

14:36

What is the probability of having a future child with autism if you already have one or more? Families want to know. It helps preparation, planning, will hopefully improve early screening and supports. The Baby Siblings Research Consortium analyzed a bigger group of siblings compared to their 2011 numbers and found the recurrence pretty stable – 1 …

1
Women are systematically under-cited in neuroscience. New tools can change that. 5:29

12h ago5:29

5:29

An omitted citation in a high-profile paper led us to examine our own practices and to help others adopt tools that promote citation diversity.

1
17. Here's an Ally: Patient Helpline + Patients Rising ft. Samantha Sauer 36:24

22h ago36:24

36:24

Send us a Text Message. This week's episode is with Samantha Sauer, a patient navigator and the Director of the Patient Helpline at Patients Rising. Patients Rising is an organization that aims to empower patients in America to advocate for reforms, placing them, alongside their doctors, in control of their healthcare choices. The Patient Helpline,…

1
Future of BRAIN Initiative funding remains unclear 4:11

2h ago4:11

4:11

As the U.S. Congress begins to discuss federal science funding for 2025, any plans to compensate for this year's cuts to the neuroscience program face an uphill battle.

1
Alison Singer appears on @LifeWithTheSpectrum 19:56

3h ago19:56

19:56

In case you missed it, listen to Alison Singer with Gina Kavali on her podcast @LifeWiththeSpectrum. Alison talks about the importance of autism research and science in general, and how families can get involved.By Autism Science Foundation

1
At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel 18:08

6d ago18:08

18:08

The French researcher's accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.

1
Culturally sensitive care with Mia Kotikovski 14:13

9d ago14:13

14:13

On this week’s podcast, Mia Kotivkoski, founder of her own 5013c and recent graduate of Stony Brook University, reviews why understanding cultural and contextual factors influence not just an autism diagnosis but general health and outcomes of a broad group of people. They include immigrants, racial and ethnic differences, and socio-economic factor…

1
16. Here's a Warrior: Autism Spectrum Disorder & Type 1 Narcolepsy ft. Rachel Nesmith 32:03

11d ago32:03

32:03

Send us a Text Message. This week's episode is with Rachel Nesmith, a singer-songwriter, mother, and advocate. Rachel has Autism Spectrum Disorder and Type 1 Narcolepsy, so today, we begin by discussing the setbacks she has faced and overcome living with ASD and then transition to her Narcolepsy. Rachel and I start by talking about the misconceptio…

1
Ep. 15: Diagnosing autism and teaching neurodiversity with So Hyun "Sophy" Kim 1:07:15

13d ago1:07:15

1:07:15

The Korea University professor on her path to autism research and studying in the United States.

1
Breakthrough for those with rare genetic disorders 12:19

14d ago12:19

12:19

This week, more on genetics as an influence to an autism diagnosis with a twist: can genetics lead to a specific treatment for core symptoms – across the board? How do you measure such broad symptoms? Our Rett Syndrome family friends and colleagues developed a novel outcome measure to capture what was most important to them, and the FDA approved it…

1
Can an emerging field called 'neural systems understanding' explain the brain? 21:09

20d ago21:09

21:09

This mashup of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and even linguistics and philosophy of mind aims to crack the deep question of what "understanding" is, however un-brain-like its models may be.

1
The Transcription Factor Song 20:21

20d ago20:21

20:21

Very rarely are scientists able to look at single genes within the brains of people across neuropsychiatric disorders and understand how the genes in each of these cells influence expression of proteins and interactions of different cells with each other. Recently, a collaboration called PsychENCODE released a series of papers that investigated wha…

1
Father of mine 11:15

26d ago11:15

11:15

In recognition of Father’s Day on the 16th, today’s podcast includes the latest research on fathers. Fathers may often be the “secondary caregiver” but should hardly be dismissed as inconsequential. Father’s sensitivity and insightfulness plays an important part in development, psychiatric diagnoses (including autism) change the the chance of havin…

1
Reviving 'inside-out' hypothesis of amyloid beta to explain Alzheimer's mysteries 8:40

27d ago8:40

8:40

New research is resurfacing old ideas about where the protein forms the disease's hallmark plaques.

1
Clinical Implications of Sensory-Movement Differences in Autism 50:56

1M ago50:56

50:56

As part of the 2024 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Elizabeth Vosseller and Ian Nordling demonstrate techniques for helping autistic people who cannot use speech reliably to communicate. They discuss the neuroscience behind techniques for helping people with sensory and movement differences to use spelling and typing to communicate. Ian Nord…

1
Clinical Implications of Sensory-Movement Differences in Autism 50:56

1M ago50:56

50:56

As part of the 2024 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Elizabeth Vosseller and Ian Nordling demonstrate techniques for helping autistic people who cannot use speech reliably to communicate. They discuss the neuroscience behind techniques for helping people with sensory and movement differences to use spelling and typing to communicate. Ian Nord…

1
We need more psychiatrists with expertise in autism 43:18

1M ago43:18

43:18

General psychiatrists are trained deal with a range of psychiatric issues in a variety of areas, but very few have experience helping families of children and adults with autism. This is training that is desperately needed, as, like other professions, there are not enough psychiatrists to help families and waitlists are staggering. Dr. Arthur Westo…

1
At the credit crossroads: Modern neuroscience needs a cultural shift to adopt new authorship practices 9:46

1M ago9:46

9:46

Old heuristics to acknowledge contributors-calling out first and last authors, with everyone else in between-don't work well for large collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, yet they remain the default.

1
Community Support and Cognitive Science Help Non-Speaking Autistics Flourish 39:16

1M ago39:16

39:16

As part of the 2024 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Vikram Jaswal, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, presents research using objective measurements of eye gaze and speed of movements. He demonstrates that prompting by supporters is not a plausible explanation for the success nonspeaking autistic people have had communica…

1
Community Support and Cognitive Science Help Non-Speaking Autistics Flourish 39:16

1M ago39:16

39:16

As part of the 2024 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Vikram Jaswal, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, presents research using objective measurements of eye gaze and speed of movements. He demonstrates that prompting by supporters is not a plausible explanation for the success nonspeaking autistic people have had communica…

1
Barney Dunn & Megan Colletta: "Letting the Light In: Using Mindfulness to Reconnect with Positive Emotion and Build Wellbeing" 1:01:14

1M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

The predominant focus of mindfulness-based approaches to date has been supporting individuals to manage challenging situations, so that negative emotions do not escalate out of control and skilful life choices can be made. There is now increasing interest in using mindfulness techniques to also help individuals make the most of life opportunities, …

1
Should we use the computational or the network approach to analyze functional brain-imaging data-why not both? 7:10

1M ago7:10

7:10

Emerging methods make it possible to combine the two tactics from opposite ends of the analytic spectrum, enabling scientists to have their cake and eat it too.

1
15. Here's an Ally: The Spero Clinic ft. Dr. Katinka van der Merwe 36:58

1M ago36:58

36:58

Send us a Text Message. This week's episode is with Dr. Katinka van der Merwe, a Doctor of Chiropractic who focuses on nervous system rehabilitation to help those suffering from chronic pain. She grew up just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, and immigrated to the United States to receive her Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Since then, she has …

1
Biology of profound and non-profound autism 12:39

1M ago12:39

12:39

Scientists have spent a lot of time trying to understand the biology of autism, unfortunately in the past, scientific studies had everyone with autism lumped together in one group and there are so many differences between people with a diagnosis that any features of the diagnosis itself were hard to detect. In the past, researchers grouped those wh…

1
Ep. 14: Eve Marder, neural circuits and being heard 1:19:26

2M ago1:19:26

1:19:26

The National Medal of Science winner explains why she built her career around the crustacean and what it was like attending high school in a Hudson River town.

1
How to explore your scientific values and develop a vision for your field 5:47

2M ago5:47

5:47

As a new professor, I was caught off guard by one part of the job: my role as an evaluator.

1
Are Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions controversial? 19:17

2M ago19:17

19:17

While NDBIs are generally considered beneficial, they still face controversies – do they actually work and does that translate to an improved quality of life for the family? This week’s #ASF podcast interviews Molly Reilly and Jinwei Song of @UConn to dive into these issues, as well as the role of the caregiver in the intervention and how their inf…

1
14. Here's an Ally: Syngap1 Foundation ft. Monica Dudley-Weldon 1:00:54

2M ago1:00:54

1:00:54

Send us a Text Message. Today's episode features Monica Dudley-Weldon! Not only is she the founder and CEO of the Syngap1 foundation, but she also has a background in biology and teaching and attended Law School. Her son, Beckett, was the 6th person in the world and 3rd in the United States to be diagnosed with Syngap1-Related Disorder, an intellec…

1
Carol Jennings, whose family's genetics informed amyloid cascade hypothesis, dies at 70 3:43

2M ago3:43

3:43

Her advocacy work aided the discovery of a rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and helped connect affected people with researchers.

1
How to use race and ethnicity data responsibly in neuroscience research 7:08

2M ago7:08

7:08

Follow these four tips to avoid using the information in problematic ways, including as a proxy for environmental variables.

1
NIH seeks input on how structural racism affects brain research, health 7:50

2M ago7:50

7:50

The feedback could lead to “novel ways” to conduct studies and reduce health disparities, a National Institutes of Health employee says.

1
Rest in Power Jim Simons 16:50

2M ago16:50

16:50

A legend in the autism community passed away on Friday. Today’s podcast focuses on the many talents of Dr. James (Jim) Simons, one of the founders of the Simons Foundation that has spent more than $500 million on autism research. We explain how he made his fortune, how he spent it, the importance of the Simons Foundation to the autism community, an…

51
What happens to premature infants as they get older? 31:08

3M ago31:08

31:08

As health care and outcomes for very premature infants has improved, scientists are able to track their longer term behavioral development, and that includes risk of developmental disorders like autism. On this week’s #ASFpodcast, Dr. Jessica Bradshaw discusses her recent research examining biological predictors like body temperature and heart rate…

1
New look at lampreys rewrites textbooks on origins of sympathetic nervous system 3:49

2M ago3:49

3:49

Sympathetic neurons pepper the embryos of the jawless fish—Earth’s first vertebrates—and overturn the idea that “fight or flight” was an innovation of jawed vertebrates.

1
Ep. 13: Brain connectivity and letting the data speak with Emily Finn 1:09:34

3M ago1:09:34

1:09:34

The Dartmouth College researcher talks about her quest to understand behavior and doing neuroscience "in the woods."

1
Research for the end of Autism Action Month 14:22

3M ago14:22

14:22

In honor of the last week of Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, we review two new scientific findings that call for more awareness and action, and less acceptance of the status quo. First: sex differences in autism are not well understood, and as it turns out, the influences on a diagnosis are different. Males have a higher … Continue reading "Rese…

1
Machine Learning in Autism, Explained 39:43

3M ago39:43

39:43

Thank you to Dennis Wall from Stanford University for explaining what Machine Learning is, how it’s related to Artificial Intelligence (today’s four buzz words) and how these new technologies are helping families get a diagnosis. He talks about the overall goals of these techniques, highlighting Cognoa’s CanvasDx to provide remote diagnoses to pote…

1
FDA describes 'objectionable conditions' at New York State Psychiatric Institute 6:23

3M ago6:23

6:23

The facility’s institutional review board failed to report a 2021 incident and “serious and ongoing noncompliance” by a principal investigator, according to a letter released by the federal agency this week.

1
Autism Self-Diagnosis Tools 31:05

3M ago31:05

31:05

Autistic individuals are turning to self-diagnosis to explain their autism features, sometimes based on better awareness, sometimes based on what they see on social media. But how accurate are these autism diagnostic tools? They range anywhere from tik-tok videos all the way to a tool called the RAADS-R which has been described as a valid … Continu…

1
Breaking down the winner's curse: Lessons from brain-wide association studies 7:04

3M ago7:04

7:04

We found an issue with a specific type of brain imaging study and tried to share it with the field. Then the backlash began.

1
Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab 8:48

3M ago8:48

8:48

Technological advancements have made it possible to study animals in more natural settings, but researchers are debating what that really means and whether natural is always better.

1
Knowledge gaps in cephalopod care could stall welfare standards 10:26

3M ago10:26

10:26

The U.S. National Institutes of Health wants to regulate research involving cephalopods. But there aren’t enough rigorous studies to base the regulations on, veteran cephalopod researchers say.

1
The 2024 Day Of Learning Quickie 17:20

3M ago17:20

17:20

Did you miss the ASF 2024 Day of Learning and can’t wait for the videos to be posted? This is a 17 minute brief summary of what was discussed, but unfortunately, with no visuals. Don’t just listen to the podcast, watch the videos when they are posted. Also included in this podcast is a shoutout … Continue reading "The 2024 Day Of Learning Quickie"…

1
Norman Farb and Zindel Segal - Better in Every Sense 57:51

3M ago57:51

57:51

In collaboration with ACCESSMBCT, we are delighted to bring you this guest talk from Norman Farb and Zindel Segal, introducing their new book, "Better in Every Sense".By Oxford Mindfulness Foundation

1
Nobel Prize winner Thomas Südhof retracts study 3:07

4M ago3:07

3:07

The retraction follows an editorial expression of concern that the journal applied to the paper in October, seven months after it was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1
The Trouble with Transitions 11:46

4M ago11:46

11:46

This podcast has not covered transition from adolescence to adulthood in the past, probably because there has not been a lot of research in this area. Luckily, recently there has been a surge of investigations and scientifically – supported interventions and recommendations for individuals who are transitioning to adulthood. This podcast reviews th…

1
Newly found hypothalamus circuits shape bullying behaviors in mice 6:21

4M ago6:21

6:21

Activity in the tiny brain region helps submissive rodents learn to avoid aggressors, and aggressive mice to curb their attacks, according to two recent studies.

1
Ep. 12: The value of math and spatial learning with Loren Frank 1:01:45

4M ago1:01:45

1:01:45

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator discusses what drew him to study the brain and his current work at the University of California, San Francisco.

1
Maiken Nedergaard's power of disruption 25:40

4M ago25:40

25:40

The award-winning researcher’s discoveries have changed the way we think about the brain; that’s exactly what her critics dislike.

1
“What is Profound Autism?” with Matt from the podcast Behavioral Observations 52:23

4M ago52:23

52:23

This week’s podcast will be an interview with Matt Cicoria from the podcast Behavioral Observations. We discuss the meaning of the words “Profound Autism” and why a blanket term of “autism spectrum disorder” may not be helping anyone on the spectrum. If you are in the Boston area on April 5th, please attend the Profound … Continue reading "“What is…

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Autism Science Foundation Podcasts

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