Autism spectrum disorder ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social, communicative, and sensorimotor processes throughout the lifespan. Understanding the brain mechanisms underlying ASD is critical for facilitating diagnosis and developing targeted treatments. While there is almost universal agreement amongst researchers that autism is associated with alterations in brain connectivity, the precise nature of these alterations continues to be debated. A critical barrier to progress is the fact that developmental aspects of changes in brain connectivity in ASD have not been systematically explored. Our proposal aims to use a developmental framework to characterize patterns of brain connectivity in autism for the first time. This work is essential for understanding the onset, development, and progression of ASD and will provide important information that can be used to guide discovery of brain-based biomarkers for the disorder.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
