The Autism Spectrum

A cognitive neuroscientist explores autism, Asperger's syndrome, and related disorders.
by Lindsay M. Oberman

Would you want to know??

If there was a prenatal test for autism or a test that would tell you that you are a carrier of a gene (or several genes) that would predispose your future children to autism, would you get the test?  Why or why not?  Read More

Vaccines and Autism take 2

On the issue of autism and vaccines, It is everyone's responsibility to be educated, we just need to make sure that our education is coming from reliable and knowledgeable sources. Read More

Boston Globe Article

I just wanted to bring my reader's attention to a Boston Globe article describing our research and those of other researchers in the field. It can be read online. Read More

Does A Hyperstimulating Environment Cause ASD?

In a response to a recent post I was asked if I thought that a hyperstimulating environment could lead to ASD.  I thought this topic deserved more than a simple response.  So, here are my thoughts, but I am very open to hearing yours... Read More

Autism Awareness Day at the U.N.

A trip to the United Nations for Autism Awareness Day. Read More

Stigma

Has the increased awareness of disorders on the autism spectrum helped or harmed the stigma? Read More

A New Day

On this historic day, I thought I would post my thoughts. I watched the inaugural address from the cafeteria in the hospital where I work and was truly moved by the whole experience. I believe that we have a president who truly has our best interest in mind. Read More

When Children with Autism Grow up.

What happens to the children with autism when they grow up? I have worked with many children with autism whose parents spend many a sleepless night worrying about this. Will I be able to care for them? Will they have to go to an institution? What services are out there when my child with autism becomes an adult with autism? Read More

The use of TMS for ASD

I haven't posted an entry in a while because I have been incredibly busy with collecting data for my studies. When thinking about what I was going to write about for this posting, I realized that I haven't really talked about my research, which is in and of itself arguably a controversial topic in autism. Read More

Neurodiversity: Does ASD Need Treatment or Does Society Need to Accept Autism as an "Alternative Way of Being?"

A friend of mine recently sent me an article from New York Magazine that discusses the neurodiversity movement, which believes that society should accept autism as "another way of wiring the brain." This is a topic that I am often faced with as a researcher trying to understand the neural basis of autism with the long-term goal of developing more effective treatments. Here is the ethical dilemma... Read More

Do Casein Free and Gluten Free Diets really work?

Many parents of children with autism choose to restrict their child's diet to eliminate Gluten (wheat protein) and Casein (milk protein). Claims have also been made that once a child has been put on this restrictive diet, their autism has been "cured", so is there any truth to this? Read More

Do Mercury or Vaccines Cause Autism?

Very hot and very controversial topic in the autism literature is whether mercury or vaccines or mercury in vaccines cause autism. In my opinion, No. Now a different question is whether mercury or vaccines are harmful to certain children either in utero or later in development. To this, my answer is maybe. Let's first look at the statements commonly used to support the belief that vaccines cause autism. Read More

Has the prevalence of ASD actually increased over the past several years, or are we just better at diagnosing it?

After telling people that I am a researcher studying autism, I am often asked the above question. Unfortunately, there is no straight answer for this question. If one goes back in the literature, it is true that for decades (several studies conducted from 1966-late 1990's) the prevalence estimates were on the order of 4-5:10,000 while studies conducted over the past decade have estimated the prevalence on the order of 2-6:1,000 with one study showing as high as 12:1,000. So, why this difference? Is it a real increase in the prevalence of the disorder or something else? Read More

Let Me Introduce Myself

I first want to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Lindsay Oberman. I am a researcher in Boston Massachusetts and am currently working at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School. My research over the past several years has focused on the brain basis of autism spectrum disorders. Read More

Lindsay Oberman

Lindsay M. Oberman, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist studying autism spectrum disorders.

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