The Friday Clinic: A Bridge Between the Duke Autism Clinic and Pediatric Primary Care 

In the "Friday Clinic," Gary Maslow, MD, MPH, and clinical psychology intern Anna Laakman, MEd are a bridge between the Duke Autism Clinic and Duke Children's primary care. 

Read more

Community Partnership Creates an Inclusive Experience for Moviegoers 

The Sensory Friendly Film Series, an initiative created through a partnership between the Carolina Theatre of Durham and the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, provides a welcoming cinema experience for autistic individuals and others in need of sensory accommodations.

Read more

See upcoming movies and get tickets below.

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

Interpretation Services Make Duke Research Accessible to Spanish Speakers 

"We strive for our results to reflect the community, and by the end, to have a product that works for everyone.”

– Charlotte Stoute, CCRP

The SenseToKnow research team includes Spanish language interpreters who make every step of the study accessible to Spanish speakers.

Read more

Duke Autism Center of Excellence Research Spotlight: SenseToKnow 

The SenseToKnow project team is building a mobile app for early childhood autism screening that we hope can one day be used in primary care clinics or by caregivers at home. One goal of this research is to develop a more objective and accurate screening tool for early identification, which is important for starting the process to access services.

Check out our graphic that distills the SenseToKnow finding to date. It's part of a series of graphics explaining our research projects funded by the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) grant from the National Institutes of Health. Read more about our ACE research projects.

Autism Center Team Poster Wins Award at Duke Psychiatry Research Day

The COMET study team, part of the Duke Autism Center of Excellence and Kim Carpenter, PhD's lab, won 2nd place in the poster competition at Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences' annual research day, for their poster "Patterns of Resting State EEG in Children with Autism, ADHD, and Co-Occurring Diagnoses."

Findings of Machine Learning Model for Brain Activity Associated with Autism

Duke researchers published results in Scientific Reports from an effort to identify aspects of brain function associated with autism. By finding new ways to evaluate and select machine learning models to analyze the data, they were able to identify robust and reproducible associations of brain activity.

Care Strategies for Neurodivergent Individuals Before, During, and After Surgery

A team including Duke’s Sam Brandsen, PhD, Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and Madhav Swaminathan, MD (Anesthesiology), gives recommendations for caring for neurodivergent patients before, during, and after surgery in the newest issue of eClinicalMedicine.

Factors Associated with Caregivers’ Decisions to Pursue a Diagnostic Evaluation

What factors are associated with a family’s decision to get a diagnostic evaluation for autism? In this study, 129 families were offered ready access to a professional diagnostic evaluation at no cost, after the child received a positive autism screen in primary care.

Race was the most significant predictor of whether caregivers went ahead with the evaluation. Caregivers of Black children were less likely to pursue an autism diagnostic evaluation for their child.  Research is needed to understand the needs and perspectives of Black families to ensure children receive timely care. See the full publication in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

See more recent publications from our faculty and staff.

Holiday Greeting Art Gallery and Contest

We are now accepting submissions for the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development's 2024 holiday greeting art gallery and contest!

Neurodivergent artists of all ages and their family members are welcome to participate.

See contest rules and submission guidelines.

Submit your artwork to autismcentercomms@duke.edu by Friday, December 6 to enter.

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. See the Carolina Theatre’s website for tickets and full schedule.

Saturday, November 23

The Sandlot

Saturday, December 14

Elf

Saturday, January 11

The Incredibles

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.

Dec. 4, 2024, 4pm ET – Audrey Thurm, PhD, National Institute of Mental Health

Jan. 8, 2025, 4pm ET – Susan White, PhD, University of Alabama

Connect with the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development: