Current research projects

• Cambridge Human Imaging and Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study

  Programme:

  Screening and Diagnosis

  This study will help us to better understand early developmental differences in autism as well as how autistic mothers can be better supported.

  

• Cambridge Ultrasound Sibling and Parent Study (CUSP) and autism

  Programme:

  Hormones, Neuroscience

  This study uses 3D ultrasound to look at babies' brains in the womb, and then follows their development for 18 months after birth to see if markers found during gestation might predict autism.

  

• Empathy and autism

  Programme:

  Perception and Cognition

  The ARC began work in empathy studying 'theory of mind' (ToM) difficulties in autism, and has since developed a series of tests and teaching methods to aid the development of empathy. We are also studying the "double empathy problem".

  

• EU policy research and autism: AIMS-2-TRIALS

  Programme:

  Mental Health, Physical Health, Screening and Diagnosis

  The ARC’s primary aim within AIMS-2-TRIALS is to ensure that the diverse voices across the autism community are heard and that the project takes the community’s priorities and concerns seriously.

  

• Mathematical ability and autism

  Programme:

  Genetics and Environmental Factors, Perception and Cognition

  Mathematicians are talented at systemising, a common trait in autism, and autism is more common among mathematicians than we might expect by chance. This study explores links between maths, autism and genes.

  

• Neurexin 1 and autism

  Programme:

  Genetics and Environmental Factors, Neuroscience

  Mutation in NRXN1 is one of about 100 high confidence rare genetic variants that has been associated with autism, although it can cause a diverse range of conditions - or none at all. This study looks to understand this gene's actions.

  

• Order and Symmetry in OCD and Autism

  Programme:

  Neuroscience

  This study aims to understand preferences for order and symmetry in the general population, in autistic individuals, and in those diagnosed with OCD.

  

• Oxytocin and autism

  Programme:

  Mental Health

  Oxytocin (a hormone) plays a key role in social behaviour and social understanding. We studied the effects of inhaling it on the brains of autistic people.

  

• Physical health and autism

  Programme:

  Hormones, Physical Health

  We investigate if certain physical health conditions are more common in autistic people, exploring medical vulnerabilities and biological pathways which may be helpful in understanding autism.

  

• Prenatal sex steroid hormones and autism

  Programme:

  Hormones

  Prenatal sex steroid hormones (like testosterone and estrogen) are known to change behaviour, cognition, and brain structure and function. This longitudinal study follows babies to see how hormones in the womb affect their behaviour.

  

• Screening and autism

  Programme:

  Screening and Diagnosis

  The ARC pioneered early screening for autism at 18 months of age, using the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT), and since then we have refined it and created new measures across the lifespan that measure autistic traits. In some cases, we have tested how sensitive and specific they are to autism.

  

• Spectrum 10K

  Programme:

  Genetics and Environmental Factors

  Spectrum 10K is the largest study of autism in the UK and is a research study involving 10,000 autistic individuals of all ages and abilities, and their relatives, living in the UK. The study aims to investigate the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to autism and co-occurring physical and mental health conditions.

  

• Structural and functional MRI and autism

  Programme:

  Neuroscience

  It appears there are structural and functional differences in the brains of autistic people, although large scale studies are needed to verify this. This is one such study, looking at typical and autistic people, and the siblings of autistic people.

  

• Suicidality and autism

  Programme:

  Mental Health

  Rates of depression and anxiety are high in autistic people. This was the first large scale study to determine risk of suicidal behaviour in autistic adults.

  

• Synaesthesia and autism

  Programme:

  Genetics and Environmental Factors, Synaesthesia

  Synaesthesia appears more common in autistic people. We are working with the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands to identify and characterise genes that may make people more susceptible to developing synaesthesia.

  

• Systemising and autism

  Programme:

  Perception and Cognition

  This study looks at whether autistic people have strengths in systemising - analysing or constructing systems like machines, number sequences and so on.

  

• Teaching emotion recognition and autism

  Programme:

  Interventions

  The Transporters is an animated series which aims to help autistic children to look at the human face and to learn about emotions. This study looked at the effectiveness of this approach and if emotion recognition can be taught.

  

• The Autism and Talent Study: Exploring the brain basis of exceptional skills in autistic and neurotypical people

  Programme:

  Neuroscience, Perception and Cognition

  The aim of this study is to explore exceptional memory skills in both autistic and neurotypical people.

  

• The Autism-CHIME Study

  Programme:

  Education

  The Autism-CHIME study tests whether improvisational music therapy is helpful for autistic children aged 7-11 years old.

  

• The criminal justice system and autism

  Programme:

  Criminal Justice

  This project investigates if a defendant is autistic, whether the criminal justice system takes this into account and if so, how.

  

• The Longitudinal European Autism Project: AIMS-2-TRIALS

  Programme:

  Neuroscience, Screening and Diagnosis

  The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) is a long-term study across seven sites in Europe with hundreds of participants, looking at how brain development is different in autistic and typical people.

  

• The National Pupil Database and autism

  Programme:

  Education, Employment

  This study explores if autistic teenagers are more likely to become "Not in Education, Employment or Training" (NEET).

  

• The Parents Study

  Programme:

  Perception and Cognition

  The Parents Study tests whether psychological traits in parents predict developmental outcomes in their children.

  

• Vulnerability, mental health and autism

  Programme:

  Mental Health

  Autistic people have social and communication difficulties which can leave them at greater risk of being vulnerable. This project explores areas of vulnerability and their triggers in autistic children and adults.

  

• The APEX (Autism Prenatal Sex Differences) Consortium

  Programme:

  Hormones, Neuroscience and Genetics

  APEX is a Cambridge-led research program that explores the links between prenatal biology, sex differences, neurodevelopment and autism.

  Males and females can both be autistic but there are on-average differences in the age and likelihood of diagnosis, as well as in how autism is manifested in autistic males and females. The reasons for these differences are both biological and social. APEX focuses on the biological causes of sex differences in autism likelihood and presentation.

  

• The Cambridge Baby Study

  Programme:

  Perception and Cognition

  The Cambridge Baby Study aims to explore whether there are sex differences in newborn social attention, and whether these early attentional preferences are associated with parental characteristics and future developmental outcomes.