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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
Autism Research
Dear Dr. Oberman,
I read elsewhere that, although, this is to an extent the case with many research fields, autism-related research is particularly difficult to get into because of internal politics and the refusal to acknowledge new techniques as valid. Did you feel that your research, being a relative novelty, didn't receive a warm welcome in the field? If that is the case, what is it about the field that creates hostility toward newcomers? I am extremely interested in the field and hope that this is a nothing short of a myth.
Also, is there any research available which correlates behavioral therapies with physical changes in brain activity in persons with autism? It seems that therapies like ABA have immense behavioral advantages, especially for children; has it been shown which systems are targeted through the therapy and how can therapy be made more efficient?
Thank you so much for taking the time to connect with the rest of the world about this phenomenon.
Autism Research
What you are referring to certainly is not a myth. It is very hard to break into this type of research because it is something that people have devoted their lives to and if a newbie comes in and solves the puzzle, then the "experts" feel that they have been robbed of that ability. People feel this way to differing extents, but I would be lying if I said that this is not a difficult area to break into. That being said, for me, it is worth the fight. It has been extremely rewarding and an area that needs new thoughts and theories for it to progress beyond where we are.
In response to your question, there is a bit of data just coming out about how the behavioral therapies influence the brain, but it is very preliminary. But this is one of those new directions, that I think needs to be explored. Any time you would like to discuss this further, you are welcome to email me at loberman@bidmc.harvard.edu.
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