What we've achieved so far

Until we fully understand autism and which interventions improve the quality of life of autistic people and their families, we will continue to fund cutting edge research.

Browse below a list of the milestones achieved by the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge:

2015-present

2016: Raised awareness about autism and employment (BBC2 Employable Me).
2015: Demonstrating oxytocin increases eye-contact in autism.
2015: Identifying elevated fetal steroid hormones in children who later develop autism.

2011-14

2014: First meta-analysis of typical sex differences in brain structure.
2014: Confirming GABRB3 as a key gene in autism.
2014: Molecular genetic study links mathematical ability and autism.
2013: Identifying synaesthesia is more common in autism.
2013: Opening of the Chitra Sethia Autism Centre, Cambridgeshire.
2012: Linking FT to regional gray matter volume and functional activity in the typical brain.
2011: Development of ‘red flags’ for autism (short AQs).
2011: Elevated rates of autism linked to an IT-rich city (Eindhoven).
2011: Zero Degrees of Empathy (Penguin)
2011: Linking elevated androstenedione to autism
2011: Elevated autistic traits linked to female-to-male transsexuals

2005-2010

2010: Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Facts (OUP)
2009: Establishing autism as 1% of the population
2009: Linking FT to autistic traits
2007: The Transporters (DVD) (www.thetransporters.com)
2006: The Adolescent AQ
2006: Benefits of emotion recognition training demonstrated
2006: Linking FT to empathy and systemizing
2006: Role of Cannabinoid Receptor Gene (CNR1) in emotion perception and neural activity
2006: The broader autism phenotype in parents using fMRI
2006: The 'Assortative Mating/hyper-systemizing' theory of autism
2005: Development of a diagnostic method for adults with Asperger Syndrome (Adult Asperger Assessment (AAA))
2005: The EMB theory at the biological level (Science)
2005: Linking FT to social development and narrow interests
2005: Dysconnectivity with amygdala in autism demonstrated

2000-2004

2004: 'Prenatal Testosterone in Mind' (MIT Press)
2003: Mind Reading DVD for teaching emotion recognition (jkp.com)
2003: The Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ)
2003: The Essential Difference (Penguin)
2003: Amygdala lesions impair ToM demonstrated
2002: The prenatal testosterone theory of autism
2002: The 'empathizing-systemizing (E-S)' theory of sex differences
2002: Linking foetal testosterone (FT) to eye-contact and vocabulary development
2002: The 'extreme male brain' (EMB) theory of autism
2001: Dimensionalizing autistic traits on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)
2001: Linking mathematical talent to AQ
2001: Prevalence of Asperger Syndrome in childhood reported as 1 in 166.
2001: Understanding Other Minds-Second edition (OUP)
2001: The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test - Revised
2000: Establishment of the Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service (CLASS)
2000: Neonatal sex differences in social interest

1995-1999

1999: Establishing the rate of Tourette Syndrome in autism
1999: The amygdala theory of the brain basis of ToM in autism
1999: Reliability of early diagnosis of autism established
1998: Superior attention to detail in autism demonstrated
1997: The extreme male brain (EMB) theory of autism
1997: Teaching children with autism to mind-read (Wiley).
1997: The broader autism phenotype identified in parents
1997: Autism linked to parents or siblings who are high 'systemizers'
1997: The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test
1996: Population study of the CHAT
1995: Mindblindness (MIT Press).

1990-1994

1994: The orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) theory of the brain basis of ToM in autism
1993: Understanding Other Minds (OUP)
1992: Gaze-direction as a cue to ToM identified
1992: Lowering the age of diagnosis of autism to 18 months old in 'baby sibs' using the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)

1985-1989

1989: Joint-attention recognized as a key developmental precursor to ToM
1989: The 'specific developmental delay' hypothesis of autism
1988: Pragmatic impairment demonstrated
1987: Pretend play deficits demonstrated
1985: The 'theory of mind' (ToM) hypothesis of autism

Latest

Book Launch for ACE

Broadcaster and journalist, Anne Atkins, launches her novel 'An Elegant Solution', the protagonist of which is autistic, with a percentage of proceeds to ACE.
The Autism Research Trust

We fund research to understand the causes of autism, improve diagnosis and explore interventions to ensure that autistic people receive the best possible support.
Genetic research and autism: for better understanding and support

There are fears that the aim of genetics research into autism is a form of eugenics to “normalise” autistic people. Although Simon Baron-Cohen understands where this fear stems from, both him and his research teams are firmly against any sort of genetic engineering.
Pilot neuroimaging study of savants

Several psychological theories have attempted to explain why autistic individuals are predisposed to talent, but few studies have used neuroimaging to investigate common brain features that may underlie the exceptional cognitive capabilities characteristic of people with savant skills. This pilot study represents the first step in disentangling what the neuroanatomical and functional similarities and differences are.

Our Priorities

Our goal is to support research that can help understand the causes of autism, improve the diagnosis and explore interventions to ensure that autistic people receive the best possible support.