·      Social Neuroscience: The emergence of social mind and social brain and disruptions thereof leading to autism spectrum disorders.
·      Quantification of sociability and identification of autism in infancy: Objectified cognitive science procedures for early diagnosis and treatment of autism focused on measurements of highly conserved and early emerging mechanisms of sociability in human infants and in non-human primates.
·      New models of health care delivery for children with autism: Deployment of cognitive science devices for universal screening for autism in high throughput pediatric centers offering primary care.

Autism is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder of genetics origins with potentially devastating effects for child and family, and with a societal cost of 35 to 80 billion dollars per year. To capitalize on early neuroplasticity, our goal is to perfect devices for the detection of autism in early infancy and to deploy them in the community for universal screening in babies. By tying screening to early treatments and intervention, we aim to develop a new model of health care delivery for children with autism. In a parallel effort, we are examining the instantiation of genetic vulnerabilities in autism through studies attempting to bridge molecular genetics and social development in both human infants and non-human primates. A better mapping of genetically-driven pathways on foundational mechanisms of sociability in infancy carries the hope of novel treatments for attenuating or preventing this condition.

Our labs use eye-tracking and other technologies for the quantification of social visual and social vocal engagement in human infants and toddlers, and collaborates with Human Genetics at Emory and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center for the creation of analog studies in model animal systems. We are also engaged in a translational effort to transform our lab procedures into medical devices capable of obtaining low-cost behavioral assays for the detection of autism in large cohorts of babies through the support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A unique confluence of institutional commitments and resources orchestrated by  Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine, combined with outstanding scientific talent and a community-wide initiative to transform the science of clinical care for individuals with autism.