Connections Newsletter

Winter 2024

Banner art: selections from the 2023 Holiday Art Gallery

A Message from Dr. Jill Howard, Director of Duke Autism Clinic

Happy New Year!

We have a number of exciting updates to communicate as 2024 gets underway. I’m eager to have the opportunity to share these with you as the new director of Duke Autism Clinic – a role I am incredibly honored to fulfill. I have been part of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development since 2015 and have had the pleasure of meeting many of you through research activities, clinical services, and community events, and look forward to connecting with many more of you in the year to come.

You may be interested in learning that our center's Sense to Know study was featured in the NIH Research Matters 2023 Highlights among the top research stories of the year in human health advances. This annual compilation features the year’s most promising and ground-breaking research funded by the NIH.

More media outlets continue to cover the SensetoKnow app, including National Geographic and a two-part radio interview with 103.9 LI News Radio in New York. My hope is that this increased media attention will draw awareness to the other fantastic research and clinical work faculty and staff do at our center, as well as inform the public more broadly about autism awareness, intervention, and acceptance.

As always, we thank you for your support and partnership. Please connect with us across our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn – where you will be among the first to know about our open research studies, latest news, resources, and events.

Wishing you a safe and happy new year!

Jill Howard, PhD

Director, Duke Autism Clinic

2023 Impact Report

The Duke Center for Autism’s 2023 Impact Report will be out soon! We’ll send a special announcement and make the report available on our website when it is published. We are excited to share our center's accomplishments with you!

You can see previous years' impact reports here.

Research Spotlight

Co-Occurring Conditions May Offer Clue to Closing Age Gap in Autism Diagnosis Between Girls and Boys

Biostatician Zhengyi (Gloria) Gu and Dr. Matthew Engelhard, assistant professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, recently published “Sex differences in the age of childhood autism diagnosis and the impact of co-occurring conditions” in Autism Research.

They found that some health conditions that show up more often in girls are associated with a later autism diagnosis. Encouraging providers to look for signs of autism in girls with these conditions may help them diagnose autism in girls as early as they do in boys.

AI Language Models Show Bias Against Words Associated With Neurodivergence

Dr. Sam Brandsen and Dr. David Carlson have an article in the latest issue of Autism Research. They found that artificial intelligence (AI) programs link words related to neurodivergence with words about danger, disease, or other negative concepts.

AI is sometimes used to make decisions in a variety of tasks. For example, sometimes AI is used to scan resumes when people apply for jobs. AI is also sometimes used to make decisions about medical treatment. Removing bias from AI models can help make sure that neurodivergent people don't experience discrimination in job applications or other processes where AI is used.

View Publications and Faculty Articles

You can see a list of books and articles by center faculty on our website . To see a particular faculty member’s publications, click on their profile on our faculty page.

Community Partnerships

Carolina Theatre Sensory Friendly Film Series

We are excited to continue our partnership with Durham's Carolina Theatre for a series of sensory-friendly films. These Saturday matinees will be shown with the lights up and sound down slightly so kids and their families can experience the movies in a calmer environment.

Center staff members consulted with the Carolina Theatre’s staff about how to make the movie-going experience more enjoyable and accessible for kids with sensory processing differences.

Read more in these stories from the Durham Voice and the 9th Street Journal about what to expect.

2024 Sensory Friendly Film Series schedule:

Saturday, February 3 – An American Tail

Saturday, March 16 - Moana

Saturday, April 13 – The Land Before Time

Saturday, May 18 - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Saturday, June 1 - School of Rock

June 1

All movies are at 11:30 am. Tickets are free, but please reserve your seats in advance on the Carolina Theatre's website.

News and Events

2023-2024 Autism Seminar Series

Autism researchers, clinicians, and self-advocates share the latest research and perspectives in our monthly seminars.

These one-hour presentations are free and start at 4 pm EST. They are virtual unless otherwise indicated. See details for the remaining 2023-2024 series and register on the Autism Seminar Series page.

Upcoming Seminars:

Wednesday, February 7 (hybrid) - Dr. Micheal Sandbank, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “Summarizing the rapidly transforming evidence base on early childhood autism interventions”

Wednesday, March 6 - Mr. Patrick Dwyer

Wednesday, April 3 - Save this Date for our 2024 Autism Acceptance Month Special Event:

We are pleased to announce that our keynote presenter for the 2024 Autism Acceptance Month event will be Hari Srinivasan. Mr. Srinivasan is a self-advocate, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, doctoral student in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, and public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

This free event is open to all and will take place on Wednesday, April 3^rd at 4:00-5:00 pm EST via Zoom Webinar. More information and registration coming soon!

2023 Holiday Greeting and Art Contest

Congratulations to our 2023 Holiday Greeting Art Gallery Contest winner, Charlotte. Her painting, “Warmie,” was featured on our Duke Center for Autism holiday greeting card. More than 20 artists of all ages submitted art for the Holiday Greeting Art Gallery.

New Advisory Board and Committee Members

We are pleased to welcome new members to our Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) Advisory Committee and our Community Engagement Advisory Board. Their diverse backgrounds and experience will make valuable contributions to the advice we seek from these groups.

ACE External Advisory Committee

The ACE External Advisory Committee members advise our center investigators, providing insights across the studies funded by the NIH ACE award. Most recently, the center welcomed Hari Srinivasan to this committee. Mr. Srinivasan is a self-advocate, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, doctoral student in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, and public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

ACE Community Engagement Advisory Board

The ACE Community Engagement Advisory Board members provide advice on community-engaged research priorities. Their input helps us increase the impact of scientific discoveries on the lives of autistic individuals. In 2024, the center welcomes three new members to the board:

Rebecca Sorensen, MSW, Co-Founder of Blawesome Farm and parent of an adult son with autism
Whitney Sukonick, LPA, BCBA, Clinical Director of the Autism Society of North Carolina
Raghav Swaminathan, administrative staff assistant at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development

Rebecca Sorensen

Whitney Sukonick

Raghav Swaminathan

Research Participation Opportunities

Now Enrolling Kids Aged 4-7

We invite autistic kids ages 4-7 yrs. to be a part of the Duke Autism HERO study. Your child could help us learn more about the overlap between autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety. What we learn could help us better tailor support for all autistic children in the future.

All HERO participants get an in-person evaluation at the Duke Center for Autism at no cost. Only 2-3 in-person visits are needed, plus one parent interview that can be done virtually.

Parents will be compensated for their time.

Email us or visit the study website. Pro# 00108001

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