The Transmitter stories

'Emergent and transactional': How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions Aug 28, 2023

Jonathan Green is professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and an honorary consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is also a long-practicing clinician. In this interview, he discusses the genesis of his recent article, "Debate: Neurodiversity, autism and healthcare," and how it has been received by colleagues and the neurodiversity self-advocate community. There have been two commentaries published in response to Green's article, with a third still in production.

The story of autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake Jul 25, 2023

Cheryl Dissanayake is a professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and the Olga Tennison Endowed Chair in Autism Research at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Center. She has been researching autism since 1984. Spectrum spoke with her about her path to autism science, the history of the field in Australia, and the importance of Melbourne hosting the 2024 INSAR annual conference, which Dissanayake will chair. In this conversation, Dissanayake mentions Margot Prior, Bruce Tonge, Lawrence Bartak, Ross Day, Stella Crosley, Marian Sigman, Beryl McKenzie and Olga Tennison - all notable names from Australia's autism research community.

New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap Mar 08, 2023

The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.

Writing a 'new history of autism' Nov 08, 2022

Spectrum talks with David Dobbs about researching his latest article, and what he found.

What it's like to be a Black autism researcher Oct 22, 2020

Spectrum spoke to four Black autism researchers about what it's like to be in a field that's overwhelmingly white, how police violence against Black people has affected them, and the joy of finding one another in 'Black In Neuro.'

Spectrum stories: Life in lockdown with autism Jun 17, 2020

Host Chelsey B. Coombs talks to clinicians and people with autism about their experience of the pandemic, how their routines have changed and some of the unexpected benefits.

Spectrum Stories: What social touch says about autism Jun 18, 2019

Understanding how touch is altered in autism could yield an early marker of the condition.

Spectrum Stories: How social media aids discovery and diagnosis of autism-linked conditions May 06, 2019

Social media is connecting families with researchers who study rare conditions related to autism - to the benefit of both.

Spectrum Stories: The benefits of genetic testing in autism Mar 18, 2019

Finding a mutation linked to autism traits can have life-changing consequences for autistic individuals and their families.

Spectrum Stories: Tapping intelligence in minimally verbal people with autism Jan 23, 2019

Scientists are finding new ways to test cognition in autistic individuals who speak little or not at all.

Spectrum Stories: Seeing through an autistic person's eyes Oct 24, 2018

Virtual reality can help typical people experience sensory hypersensitivity and other perceptual differences that autistic individuals describe. Host Ben Kuebrich reports.

Spectrum Stories: Resetting the autistic brain Sep 14, 2018

Deep brain stimulation is not an approved treatment for autism but has helped some people with extreme obsessions and other severe traits. Host Ben Kuebrich investigates one success story.

Spectrum Stories: Understanding autism's suicide risk Aug 13, 2018

Suicidal thoughts appear to be more common in autistic people but they’re also more difficult to detect. Host Ben Kuebrich reports.

Spectrum Stories: Gaming autism treatments Jun 20, 2018

Researchers are designing video games to hone visual-attention skills in children with autism. New host Ben Kuebrich explores.

Spectrum Stories: Autism, in a manner of speaking Apr 19, 2018

In this episode of “Spectrum Stories,” host Jacob Brogan explains how speech — from its rhythm to its emotional content — can differ in people with autism, making social communication difficult.

Spectrum Stories: Talking about autism mouse models Mar 21, 2018

Scientists discuss the problems with using mice to study autism, and explain how the field might move forward.

Spectrum Stories: Camouflaging autism traits Feb 26, 2018

In this episode, host Jacob Brogan explores how and why some women try to hide their autism. There are benefits to keeping the condition concealed, but this camouflaging comes with psychological costs.

Spectrum Stories: Shifting cultural views about autism abroad Jan 30, 2018

In this episode, host Jacob Brogan talks to autism researchers and families with children on the spectrum in France and Ethiopia. However different the two countries may be, advocates in both places are working to overturn outdated beliefs about autism that blame parents and block access to evidence-backed services and treatment.

Spectrum Stories: Where autism meets sleeplessness Nov 13, 2017

Scientists are trying to understand why people with autism so often have trouble sleeping, and how to help them.

Spectrum Stories: The overlap between autism and anxiety Oct 11, 2017

In this episode of “Spectrum Stories,” host Jacob Brogan talks to clinicians about why anxiety is so common — but can be so hard to spot — in people with autism.

Spectrum Stories: Doubts cloud Son-Rise Program for autism Sep 21, 2017

In this episode of “Spectrum Stories,” Jacob Brogan talks to researchers who worry that families are spending large amounts of money on an unproven therapy for autism.

Spectrum Stories: Learning from baby siblings Aug 16, 2017

Many parents with children on the spectrum enroll their newborns in research — to advance the field and to bring benefits to families such as theirs.

Spectrum Stories: Rewriting the story of regression in autism Aug 02, 2017

One day, you have a toddler who’s vocal, who looks you in the eye, who literally reaches out to you. And then everything changes.

Spectrum Stories: The role of genetics in autism Jun 27, 2017

We know that genes play a role in the condition; however, finding genes, and then knowing what they do is a challenge.

Spectrum Stories: The secret lives of adults with autism May 16, 2017

Spectrum Stories: Why don't we have better drugs for autism? Apr 19, 2017

Spectrum Stories: When lab meets life Nov 14, 2016

Spectrum Stories: Family ties podcast Sep 14, 2016