Autism has become one of the most intensely debated topics in health, with competing claims about its causes and how it should be treated. But behind those public debates, researchers say autism science has entered one of its most promising periods.
Few people have witnessed that transformation more closely than Joseph Buxbaum, a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and geneticist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. As director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Buxbaum has spent decades studying autism’s biological causes and searching for new treatments.
“There couldn’t be a better time for autism research,” he told Straight Arrow.
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When Buxbaum began his career, researchers were only beginning to understand autism’s genetic basis. Today, decades of research have transformed scientists’ understanding of the condition, revealing that autism is highly heritable, extraordinarily complex and influenced by hundreds of genes interacting with a range of biological and environmental factors. At the same time, many of the biggest questions remain unanswered, from why autism develops in some people to how discoveries in the laboratory can translate into meaningful treatments.
This video is the first installment in Straight Arrow’s five-part series examining one of the most contested areas in modern medicine. Over the coming week, Straight Arrow will explore what scientists know about the causes of autism, why diagnoses have risen so dramatically, how the neurodiversity movement has reshaped public understanding of the condition and the ongoing debate over whether today’s autism spectrum is serving everyone it was intended to.
Part 2: Inside the decades-long search for autism’s causes
Part 3: For decades, the definition of autism expanded. Is it now too broad?
Part 4: Are more children developing autism, or are doctors diagnosing it differently?
Part 5: How the neurodiversity movement has left some autism families behind
Round out your reading
- The little robot that could … fix America’s sidewalks?
- What satellite images of the night sky say about the economic impact of data centers.
- Lake Mead hit a record-low water level. Why experts say the benchmark needs context.
- Off Script: Did Democrats just change direction? The fight inside the party isn’t over yet.
- Smartwatches are getting smarter. Is healthcare ready?
