Helen Tager-Flusberg

Sensory aspects of speech linked to language issues in autism

March 8, 2018

Spectrum Helen Tager-Flusberg Children with autism pay just as much attention to speech that doesn’t match lip movements as to speech in which sight and sound are coordinated, according to a new study… Expert quote: “Blind and deaf children can learn language, so there are likely to be several other mechanisms involved. We know that’s not […]

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Brain, behavior distinguish autism from language delay

September 26, 2017

Spectrum News Helen Tager-Flusberg Babies with autism show behavioral and brain features that differ from those of babies with language delay… Expert quote: “These are very exciting and important findings. Both the behavioral and [brain-imaging] findings suggest that differences outweigh the similarities.” View full article

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New diagnosis covers ‘borderlands’ of autism spectrum

August 28, 2017

Spectrum quoting Helen Tager-Flusberg, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “Children with social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD) have the same features as children with autism — just fewer of them, according to a large study of children with either condition1…” Expert quote: “…falls on the border between autism and non-autism.”  View full article. 

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What baby siblings can teach us about autism

August 16, 2017

Spectrum quoting Helen Tager-Flusberg, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “In October 2010, Lisa and Eugene Jeffers learned that their daughter Jade, then nearly 2 and a half years old, has autism…” Expert quote: “The answers are just not going to be that simple for us in autism.” View full article. 

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Decision over ‘ACE’ autism grants stirs anxiety among scientists

August 10, 2017

Spectrum quoting Helen Tager-Flusberg, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “Autism researchers are reeling from the possibility that the field’s most prized grants, the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) awards, may not fund some existing programs and may exclude others entirely…” Expert quote: “We had some very positive reviews, and we also had […]

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Genetics guides gaze during social interactions, study finds

July 12, 2017

Spectrum quoting Helen Tager-Flusberg, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences The tendency of people with autism to not make eye contact is rooted in genetics, suggests a study of identical and fraternal twins, published today in Nature…” Expert quote: “This is probably the most exciting paper I have read in the last several months.” […]

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If Trump Really Wants To ‘Do Something’ About Autism, Here Are 3 Suggestions

February 22, 2017

Huffington Post Helen Tager-Flusberg, College of Arts and Sciences It’s clear that President Donald Trump is interested in the subject of autism spectrum disorder, repeatedly expressing an interest in doing “something” about the condition… Expert quote: ““The most important areas of service needs are for the adult community,” said Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for […]

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An Auditory Component to Autism

August 17, 2016

Scientific American Helen Tager-Flusberg, College of Arts & Sciences “The face is the index of the mind,” according to an ancient proverb… Expert quote: “And success on a laboratory task does not necessarily translate into success in real-world social interactions, adds Helen Tager-Flusberg, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University.” View full […]

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Single microbe may restore social behaviors in mice

July 7, 2016

Spectrum Helen Tager-Flusberg, College of Arts & Sciences A single species of bacteria reverses autism-like features in mice exposed to a high-fat diet in utero… Expert quote: “There are already too many hucksters selling high-priced probiotics to vulnerable families of children with autism; we don’t need this study to be cited in support of their […]

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Aberrant gene doses disrupt ‘optimal’ brain architecture

June 27, 2016

Spectrum Helen Tager-Flusberg, College of Arts & Sciences Too few or too many copies of a genetic region linked to autism produce similar effects on intelligence and social skills, according to a new study… Expert quote: “I wonder whether we might see similar patterns for other copy number variants that can occur in both deletion […]

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