The Presenter

Helen Tager-Flusberg

Director, Developmental Science Program, Boston University

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On 29 April, Helen Tager-Flusberg discussed a variety of data on language in autism. Tager-Flusberg is professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, where she directs the Center for Autism Research Excellence.

Many individuals with autism have excellent verbal skills. But a large subset of children with the disorder clearly struggle with spoken language. Some rarely speak or don’t speak at all.

Tager-Flusberg leads studies aimed at making sense of this wide variability, and that raise important questions about the connection between language and neurodevelopment. Do differences in language ability indicate something meaningful about the biology and heterogeneity of autism? Can identifying these mechanisms lead to better therapies for minimally verbal children?

To explore these questions, watch a complete replay of the webinar above.

Use the comments section below to submit questions we didn’t have time to discuss during the Q&A session or to pose follow-up questions for Tager-Flusberg.