Dear friends of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development,
I hope you had a great summer, and for our families with kids, a nice start to a new school year. I’m excited to share this month’s newsletter with you. Our team has been doing great work in research, community outreach, and clinical care.
In addition to serving as a psychiatrist in the Duke Autism Clinic, I have the pleasure of collaborating with many wonderful people at Duke to increase inclusion for neurodivergent students, staff, and faculty. We continue to work closely with Duke teaching faculty to increase inclusion in the classroom, and increase supports for our students. I’m also excited to highlight our partnership with the Duke Career Center to host the upcoming virtual NC Neurodiversity Career Summit on November 1, 2024, free to any college student from North Carolina.
Read on for more highlights of the work happening at the Center.
Best,
Tara Chandrasekhar, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
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International FOXP1 Conference Brings Together Researchers, Families Affected by Rare Genetic Condition
The first of its kind International Conference on FOXP1 Syndrome, hosted at Duke, gave families affected by this rare condition an opportunity to speak directly with scientists about research priorities. Read more.
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Families shared their experiences with researchers at the International Conference on FOXP1 Syndrome.
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| Autism Center Team Publishes Practical Suggestions for Neurodiversity-Affirming Clinical Care
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face barriers in finding neurodiversity-affirming clinical care suited to their communication styles and needs. In this chapter, Drs. Sam Brandsen, Tara Chandrasekhar, and Lauren Franz offer practical suggestions for creating a safe, accessible, and effective clinical care approach for individuals with IDD.
Read the article (available for free for 90 days).
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| New Study with Preschoolers Aims to Find Brain Activity Measure Linked to Autism
The ABC Social Development Study has found brain activity measurements linked to autism in children aged 6-11 years. The team has now started a new round of the study with children aged 3-5 years.
This phase of the project aims to see if the same brain activity measurements found in the older children hold true at this younger age, and to find out just how early we can reliably link autism to these measurements. Read more.
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| Notes from the Field: Tobenna Ndulue MS’25
Tobenna Ndulue, a Duke Global Health Institute master’s student, is working in South Africa with the Autism Center’s interim director Lauren Franz, MBChB, MPH on a new strategy to help caregivers of children with autism. Read more.
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AURORA Electronic Health Records Analysis
The Artificial Intelligence for Understanding and Recognizing Autism (AURORA) project analyzes electronic health records from children’s routine medical visits for early patterns that may indicate likelihood of autism.
One goal of this project is to develop a dashboard tool that could alert a pediatrician to refer a child for further assessment.
This is the first panel in a series of comics explaining our research projects leveraging the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) grant from the National Institutes of Health. Read more about our ACE research projects.
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Carolina Theatre Sensory Friendly Film Series
The Carolina Theatre of Durham hosts free movie showings designed to be a welcoming environment for autistic individuals and others in need of sensory accommodation to enjoy classic family favorite movies on the big screen. The sensory friendly accommodations are designed with consultation from the Duke Center for Autism. See the Carolina Theatre’s website for tickets and full schedule.
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| Saturday, September 28
The Nutty Professor
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| Saturday, October 26
Hocus Pocus
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| Saturday, November 16
The Addams Family
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2024-25 Autism Seminar Series
The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development Seminar Series features free presentations on the latest research and perspectives from scientists, clinicians, and self-advocates. See the full schedule and register to attend an upcoming session.
10/30/2024 4 PM EST Shrikanth Narayanan, PhD, University of Southern California
11/6/2024 5 PM EST Kristelle Hudry, PhD, Latrobe University
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ASNC Triangle Run/Walk for Autism
Come by our booth at the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Triangle Run/Walk for Autism!
Saturday, Oct 12 at Halifax Mall in Downtown Raleigh.
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Autism Center staff at the 2023 Triangle Run/Walk for Autism
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Connect with the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development:
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Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development
2608 Erwin Rd, Ste 300, Durham, NC 27705
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