Autism: What does the latest science tell us?
What are Media Briefings?
Tuesday, November 18
11 a.m. – 12 noon PT / 2-3 p.m. ET
Recent focus at the highest levels of government on autism spectrum disorder, its causes, and potential treatments has both drawn attention to and muddied the public’s understanding of this neurological disorder, which affects more than 3% of children nationwide. At the Neuroscience 2025 conference in San Diego, SciLine and the Society for Neuroscience co-hosted a briefing for reporters that covered:
- What scientists know about the causes of autism, including genetic and environmental influences, and potential treatments;
- Why diagnoses are rising in general, and among overlooked groups (adults, girls, people of color); and
- The public health harms of making false links between autism and vaccines, and autism and mothers.
Three scientific experts joined a moderated discussion and then took reporter questions on the record.
Panelists:
- Dr. Shafali Jeste, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
- Dr. Suma Jacob, University of California Los Angeles
- Dr. Jed Elison, University of Minnesota
- Dr. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief, Science family of journals, will moderate the discussion.
A recording of this briefing is available on the Neuroscience 2025 website.
See also:
Resources for Media: Autism Research
This document was compiled by the Society for Neuroscience, SciLine, and panelists of “Autism: What Does the Latest Science Tell Us?” a free, press-only briefing at Neuroscience 2025.
Reporting on Autism
- The Open Notebook/SciLine: Addressing Science-Related Misinformation and Disinformation
- National Center on Disability and Journalism: Disability Language Style Guide
- Autistica: Media Communications Guide
Expert Perspectives
- Dr. Holden Thorp’s Science Forever Substack post, A ‘difficult day’ for autism
- The New York Times: Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism.
- European Journal of Epidemiology: The autism ‘epidemic’: misinterpretation, misinformation and conspiracy
- Unbiased Science: Saturday Morning Thoughts on the Tylenol-Autism News
- Unbiased Science: The Day Our Government Told Mothers They Caused Their Children’s Autism
- Scientific American: What RFK, Jr., Got Wrong about Autism, according to Scientists
- Nature Medicine: People with autism deserve evidence-based policy and care
Autism and Genetics
- BrainFacts: New Autism Subtypes Identified Based on Genes, Individual Traits
- Scientific American: Autism Has No Single Cause. Here’s How We Know
Vaccine Myths
- The New York Times: The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake
Diagnosis
- Autism Speaks: DSM-5 and autism: Frequently asked questions
- Autism Speaks: Autism diagnostic criteria: DSM-5
- The Transmitter: The evolution of ‘autism’ as a diagnosis, explained
- The Transmitter: Fact sheet: Autism prevalence
Environmental Factors
- SPARK: What Role Does the Environment Play in Autism?
- Advanced Autism Services: Environmental Causes & Risk Factors Of Autism
- ProPublica: RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
Leucovorin
Tylenol® (Acetaminophen)
- The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Editorial: The acetaminophen scare: association vs causation
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Understanding the Evidence on Pregnancy, Tylenol, and Autism
Latest Research
- Autism Research Review, the quarterly publication of the Autism Research Institute
- Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI): Conversations
Statements from Professional Societies:
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): ‘Dangerous claims’ about causes of autism confuse parents, harm children
- International Society for Autism Research (INSAR): INSAR Statement on Recent Discussions of Tylenol and Leucovorin
- Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP): SDBP Statements regarding leucovorin, Tylenol and autism
