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

Happy New Year!

At the Duke Center for Autism, we were thrilled to learn that the Autism CARES Act of 2024 was signed into law on December 23, 2024. The bill expands and renews funding for critical services and research for the autism community, including the grants that support our own Autism Center for Excellence research programs. You can read more about what the bill does in this summary from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

Be on the lookout next month for the release of our 2024 impact report, highlighting the center’s important accomplishments from throughout the year. We'll share the report via this newsletter as well as on our social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram).

Read on for more updates from the Center for Autism, including research news, clinical care, and community events.

Best,

Lauren Franz, MB ChB, MPH

Interim Director

Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development

News

cover of International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities

The Early Start Denver Model in the Duke Autism Clinic

Providers at the Duke Autism Clinic have empowered caregivers with strategies to support their children’s development for more than 10 years.

Undergraduate Researcher Angela Claveria Selected for NASA Internship

Congratulations to Angela Claveria on her NASA internship in biomechanics research! Angela is an undergraduate biomedical engineering and pre-med student at Duke who works under the mentorship of Kimberly Carpenter, PhD, and David Carlson, PhD, co-leads of the COMET study.

She will spend the Spring 2025 semester in Houston, Texas with NASA’s Anthropometry and Biomechanics Testing and Analytics team.

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

Research

Revealing Stories of Late-Talking Children Embedded in Electronic Health Records

Embedded in electronic health record (EHR) data are the stories of thousands of late-talking children and how their communication abilities develop over time. Our team is using machine learning to help us understand these stories, and what possibilities might come next for late-talking children.

Duke Autism Center of Excellence Research Spotlight: COMET

This graphic explains more about the Duke COMET study, which looks for unique patterns of brain activity in autistic children.

This is the third and final in our series of explainer graphics about our NIH-supported Autism Center for Excellence studies. See all three graphics and learn more about all of our ACE studies.

Leveraging the Duke Autism Center of Excellence Award: Training Grants Support Faculty with Research Career Development and Study Funding

Alexandra Bey, MD, PhD; Matthew Engelhard, MD, PhD; and Danai Fannin, PhD, CCC-SLP, are leveraging the NIH-funded Duke Autism Center of Excellence grant to conduct their own related research studies.

Adapting an Early Autism Caregiver Coaching Intervention for Telehealth Delivery in Low-Resource Settings

A joint team from Duke University and the University of Cape Town with funding support from the National Institutes of Health has published a paper outlining how and why they moved in-person caregiver coaching sessions to a low-cost remote platform because of COVID-19 restrictions.

They adapted their program to continue delivering exceptional autism care in low-resource communities, using an app most people in South Africa already had access to:

Scholarship Supports Research and Training Experience in South Africa for Duke Med Student

Duke medical student Maame Amoako developed a research study examining stress in caregivers of autistic children in South Africa. She presented a poster on her research at the Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences annual research day in November 2024.

See more recent publications from our faculty and staff.

Upcoming Events

Save the Date! - Wednesday, April 2, 4 pm - Autism Acceptance Month Keynote Seminar

Tara Chandrasekhar, MD, and Sam Brandsen, PhD, of the Duke Center for Autism, will present “Neurodiversity Initiatives at Duke University: Progress and Future Directions” as the keynote event in our celebration of Autism Acceptance Month.

Chandrasekhar and Brandsen will talk about recent programs and activities the Duke Neurodiversity Working Group has implemented to support neurodivergent students, staff, faculty, and other members of the Duke University community. Registration coming soon.

Carolina Theatre Sensory Friendly Film Series

The Carolina Theatre of Durham hosts free movie showings designed to be an inclusive experience for autistic individuals and others in need of sensory accommodation to enjoy classic family favorite movies on the big screen.

See the next few showings below, and visit the Carolina Theatre’s website for tickets and full schedule.

Saturday, February 8

Groundhog Day

Saturday, March 15

Finding Nemo

Saturday, March 22

Mrs. Doubtfire

Get Sensory Friendly Film Series Tickets

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.

February 5, 2025, 4pm ET – Brianne Tomaszewski, PhD, University of North Carolina

"Self-Determined Participation of Transition-Aged Youth with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Community Engagement"

March 12, 2025, 4pm ET – Carla Mazefsky, PhD, University of Pittsburgh