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Articles by Alison Singer
Federal committee looks backward as autism science moves forward
On the very day that a landmark study was published in Science , pointing autism research toward an exciting new scientific frontier, the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) was looking backward, discussing hypotheses that science has already extensively investigated and largely discarded. The contrast was striking.
Advances in genetic medicine took center stage at INSAR
At this year’s meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) in Prague, one theme stood out above the rest for me: We are entering a new era of genetic medicine for autism. Much of the attention focused on rare genetic variants, such as changes in SCN2A, SHANK3 or UBE3A, that are known to be associated with autism. About 20 percent of people with autism have a condition linked to these or other variants.
Advances in genetic medicine took center stage at INSAR
A Single Dose of Psilocybin Induces Lasting Brain Changes, New Study Suggests Just one insightful psychedelic trip can have a profound impact on a person, and a new study goes some way to explaining why. The research suggests a …
Opinion | ‘That Was Shocking’: Four Experts React to Trump’s Autism Announcement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Guest Essay Sept. 23, 2025, 5:04 a.m. ET Credit...Illustration by The New York Times Listen to this article · 19:29 min Learn more By Helen Tager-FlusbergAlison SingerBrian K. Lee and Eric Garcia Dr. Tager-Flusberg is the founder of the Coalition of Autism Scientists.
Alison Singer
The president of the Autism Science Foundation and parent of a child with profound autism reflects on how advances in the treatment of rare gene variants bring hope to many families. By My experience at the Autism-Europe International Congress — and as a parent of a child with profound autism — makes me more convinced than ever that we need to bifurcate the diagnosis of ‘autism spectrum disorder’ and add a new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ to better serve this vulnerable population.
Using Fiction and Nonfiction Readings in Climate Change Education
Research & Teaching Using Fiction and Nonfiction Readings in Climate Change Education Facts about climate change are often ineffective in impacting people’s climate change beliefs or environmentally related behaviors. Multiple theories of environmental behavior use norms to foster behavior change. Science fiction writers may also attempt to sway individuals’ perceptions of climate change through imaginings of a future affected by climate change.
A full semantic toolbox is essential for autism research and practice to thrive
CONSEQUENCES OF RESTRICTIONS The authors of previous articles on this topic describe their proposed vocabulary as “suggested” and say it should not apply to disabling conditions that cause suffering, but to the autism itself. This distinction has not been clearly made in the autism literature and has been misinterpreted by readers of these articles as mandates. There is no nuance or context applied to the determination of appropriate terminology.
It’s time to embrace ‘profound autism’
Alison Singer President, Autism Science Foundation Earlier this month, I attended the Autism-Europe International Congress in Kraków, Poland, where the theme was “Happy Journey Through Life.” Although this sounds like an admirable goal, I would not choose the word “happy” to describe my daughter Jodie’s life with profound autism, nor would many other families who struggle with the day-to-day challenges of life on the profound end of the autism spectrum, a reality that is largely invisible to...
Shaping the Future: Grandparents Diagnosing Autism
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Explaining Democracy To Children & 8 Books That Help
Grabbing one of these books can be a great place to start conversations about citizenship and democracy with your kids. With the 2020 Presidential election this week, and many of us schooling at home this year (or at least supplementing school), there has never been a better time to introduce the concept of democracy to our children. Citizenship, the voting process, how laws are made-- these are all concepts that children can start to digest now, so that they can make big decisions in the future.
Portrayals of autism on television don’t showcase full spectrum
If you’re a fan of either of two new television shows that debuted in the United States this September — “Atypical” on the streaming service Netflix or “The Good Doctor” on ABC — I’ve got news for you. You’re watching an overly positive depiction of autism that doesn’t reflect reality for the majority of people on the spectrum. To the TV-watching public, autism has come to mean the verbal, higher-skilled, savant end of the spectrum, because individuals at that end make for interesting characters.
Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity
In “Fixing the Future,” a recent documentary on PBS, David Brancaccio takes the viewer on a road trip across America, searching for enterprising individuals and communities who are changing the way they think about the economy. In what the video terms a jobless recovery, the difficulty is in finding, retaining, and building equity in jobs—essential in developing any sustainable economy.
Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity
Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 classic, The Population Bomb, warned of a future of famine, increased global death rates, and environmental degradation. The book spurred worldwide concern over uninhibited population growth, and while many of the book’s somewhat apocalyptic predictions have not yet come to pass, the link between population growth and an (un)sustainable future cannot be ignored.
Uncertain Role of Extractive Reserves in Conservation
During the 1980s, Brazilian rubber tapper Chico Mendes was a prominent activist for the preservation of the Amazon region. He urged his government to set up reserves for rubber tappers and was instrumental in creating various organizations and unions for his peers. In 1988, Mendes was murdered by a rancher intent on logging the site of a future reserve.
Cuba finally relaxes restrictions on Internet access
HAVANA, Cuba, January 13, 2014 (AMG) — In 2011, a United Nations report argued that by curtailing their respective populations’ access to the Internet, some governments were committing serious human rights violations in breach of international law.
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