[1033] Autism Brain & Behavior

Our group is interested in understanding the development of young children with autism, with a particular interest in measuring brain changes associated with early intervention in autism, and in developing tools for early detection of this disorder.

To this end, we are following a cohort of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as typically developing children of the same age. We use these data to obtain a fine-grained analysis of the clinical phenotype of children when they are diagnosed with autism, and to follow the trajectory of their symptoms over the years following diagnosis. We are involved in the development and validation of neuroscience-based biomarkers to measure the severity of autism and the evolution of these children, using eye-tracking and brain imaging (EEG and MRI).

We seek to identify subtypes within the very heterogeneous spectrum of autism, in particular subtypes that would predict the evolution or the response to specific types of treatments. Finally, we are measuring changes associated with therapeutic intervention, clinically, but also with specific markers such as eye-tracking or brain imaging. Ultimately, this research aims to provide concrete elements to improve care and intervention for children diagnosed with autism.