Dear friends of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development,

It was wonderful to see so many members of our community at the Duke Women's Soccer game on October 30. This year we saw record numbers of participants enrolled in our research studies, diagnostic evaluations completed in the clinic, and attendees at our monthly educational seminars. You'll soon be able to read more highlights from 2025 in our annual impact report coming in the new year.

I hope you’ll participate in our annual winter art gallery; we look forward to seeing your lovely artwork every year. There’s still time to submit your art until next Friday, December 19. Please see the details for participation, along with other news and updates below.

Wishing you happy holidays and a wonderful winter season!

Lauren Franz, MBChB, MPH
Interim Director
Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development

Do you have an artist in the family?

We're accepting submissions for the annual holiday art gallery and contest through Friday, December 19!

Send in your artwork to autismcentercomms@duke.edu as a jpg or png.

A winner will be featured in our 2025 holiday card, and all entries will be included in the gallery.

All ages and abilities welcome!

Spotlight: Alexandra Bey, MD, PhD, Serves Families Through Research and Patient Care

Dr. Alexandra Bey’s research and clinical career is dedicated to improving the lives of those with neurodevelopmental disorders. Communications strategist Evan Watson sat down with Dr. Bey for a conversation about her career and research goals, and how her dual roles in research and patient care overlap.

Duke Researchers Explain "Threshold" Model of Factors Contributing to Autism

Autism develops from many different influences during early brain development. No single gene or factor causes autism on its own. Instead, Duke researchers Alexandra Bey, MD, PhD, Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and Scott Soderling, PhD, explain a "threshold" model where many small genetic differences, together with certain environmental influences before birth, can add up and increase the likelihood that a child will develop autism. 

Read the full article (open access)!

Keep up with the center’s news on our website!

Research helps us learn how all children grow, think, and learn. To do this, scientists study kids with autism and kids without autism. Families with non-autistic children also play an important role in this work. We thank them for helping us better understand how young minds develop.

Identifying ADHD in Young Autistic Children

Many young autistic children also have ADHD, which can impact the child’s experiences. However, figuring out which autistic children have ADHD can be difficult. A new paper from Duke researchers Naomi Davis, PhD, Kimberly Carpenter, PhD, and team describes an approach that providers can take to identify ADHD in autistic kids.

Read the full paper in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

Duke Psychiatry Faculty and Staff Share Projects at 2025 Research Day

One of the highlights of our academic year, Duke Psychiatry Research Day is a chance for staff and faculty to share their work and hear from other scholars from across Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and other teams at Duke, including Nursing, Pediatrics, and more!

COMET Study Recruiting Kids Without Autism

The COMET study is recruiting kids 3-5 years old without autism to help us learn more about the brain and behavior. Kids play engaging games and caregivers are compensated.

All participants get a space scientist badge to show their teachers, friends, and family! Visit our COMET website or email us at autismresearch@duke.edu to learn more.

Duke Women's Soccer Dedicates Game to Autism Center

At their final home game of the 2025 season, Duke Women's Soccer welcomed members of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development community. Faculty, staff, and their families were invited to greet players on the field and form a high-five tunnel as the starting players were announced.

Duke defeated Clemson 3-2 to earn the #3 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Sensory Friendly Film Series at the Carolina Theatre

The next movie in the Sensory Friendly Film Series at the Carolina Theatre is Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs!

Saturday, December 20 at 11:00 am. Get tickets.

See the full schedule and get free tickets at the Carolina Theatre’s website.

Duke Center for Autism Seminar Series

Our Duke Center for Autism Seminar Series will feature a presentation by Ilan Dinstein, PhD, from Ben Gurion University on Wednesday, January 7 at *1:00 pm*.

Register for this free webinar here.

Visit the seminar series webpage or sign up for our seminar series email list for more information.

*Please note the time change.