Center News

Evan Watson, the Autism Center’s communications specialist has been with us since 2023. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, Evan completed his Bachelor’s degree from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, double majoring in history, and philosophy and religion. He then went on to complete a master’s program in library science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he later worked as the overnight librarian at the 24 hour undergraduate library.

The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development was well-represented at the 2025 International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting. Team members traveled to Seattle for the conference, which took place April 30 through May 3, 2025.

Congratulations to Duke Psychiatry chair Dr. Moira Rynn and professor Dr. Gary Maslow on being named distinguished professors—and to the 29 other newly distinguished professors at Duke. They were all honored in a recent ceremony and reception at the Washington Duke Inn. Maslow serves as the medical director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development

Distinguished professorships honor faculty who are well-established members of the Duke academic community and who have achieved distinction as creative scholars in their field or in their ability to transcend disciplines.

Our team tested the accuracy of the SenseToKnow app for autism screening when used by caregivers at home on their own mobile phone or tablet. The results showed that the mobile autism screening app can be done at home and still provide a high level of accuracy for identifying autism in toddlers, comparable to the results of earlier studies in our clinic and lab.

The possibilities for remote screening could lower barriers to autism screening, reduce disparities in early access to services and support, and improve children’s outcomes.

Faculty member Elena Tenenbaum, PhD, presented "Utilizing AI to Understand Early Development in Infants" at the Autism Science Foundation's 2025 Day of Learning. This presentation was based on research from the RISE study.

Ashleigh Waterman, a Duke undergraduate student has been funded for her work on our RISE project by the Simons Foundation's Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN)!

Ashleigh presented her poster "Remote assessment of infant memory of social vs non-social stimuli" at a recent meeting of SURFiN fellows in New York.

“Autism is not one condition.” Geraldine Dawson, founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, talks about the spectrum of conditions autism presents, the arc of development, and support strategies.

Originally from Panama and Denmark, Charlotte Stoute brings a multicultural perspective to her work here at the center. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Duke, Charlotte was among the first to begin working at the Autism Center in 2015. Through her ten-year tenure, Charlotte has grown into her role as Regulatory coordinator, and excels at helping studies across the center. Charlotte is especially passionate about research that improves access to services for families facing structural or linguistic barriers to care.

On Sunday, March 9, 2025, the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development collaborated with Duke University's Nasher Museum of Art to host a sensory friendly event for local families. Kids enjoyed making crafts and tours of the galleries led by Nasher staff, all in a structured, small-group setting.

Duke University collaborated with the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development to produce this brief video explaining the autism spectrum.