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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · 7d

Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 7d

"Earlier- & later-diagnosed autism have different developmental trajectories & genetic profiles. The findings have important implications for how we conceptualize autism & provide a model to explain some of its diversity." @vw1234.bsky.social & an international team report today in @nature.com: 👇🧪

Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis - Nature

A study of several longitudinal birth cohorts and cross-sectional cohorts finds only moderate overlap in genetic variants between autism that is diagnosed earlier and that diagnosed later, so they may represent aetiologically different conditions.

www.nature.com

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · 11d

A rewarding start to my day!

RobertNDouglass🇺🇳🇵🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺🇰🇷🇯🇵 @realantipartisan.bsky.social · 11d

Washington Journal
#CSPAN #CSPANWJ
Skeet at @c-span.bsky.social and cspanwj.bsky.social

Joining Center for Autism Research Excellence (CARE) Director Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social to discuss #autism, efforts to increase understanding of autism disorders.

WATCH: tinyurl.com/m8h3uzv7

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Forbes @forbes.com · 12d

Tylenol maker Kenvue is reeling after unsupported claims that its popular drug causes autism. Kennedy is unlikely to stop there.

RFK Jr. Is Targeting Vaccines And Tylenol. Are Prozac And Ozempic Next?

Tylenol maker Kenvue is reeling after unsupported claims that its popular drug causes autism. Kennedy is unlikely to stop there.

www.forbes.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Sam Gershman @gershbrain.bsky.social · 13d

Baccarelli was paid $700/hour for his work on a case against Tylenol. I will charge $0/hour to tell courts, FDA, and everyone else that correlations can arise from latent variables in the absence of a direct causal relationship.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Harvard’s Public Health Dean Was Paid $150,000 to Testify Tylenol Causes Autism | News | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard School of Public Health Dean Andrea A. Baccarelli received at least $150,000 to testify against Tylenol’s manufacturer in 2023 — two years before he published research used by the Trump admini...

www.thecrimson.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Adele Goldberg @adelegoldberg.bsky.social · 15d

Gift article for any uniformed friends or family: experts overwhelmingly agree that the apparent increase in autism in USA is due to broader inclusion criteria and diagnoses. It is NOT caused by tylenol or vaccines
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/o...

Opinion | ‘This May Be the Most Difficult Day in My Career’: Experts React to Trump’s Autism Remarks

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, MPH @rmcarpiano.medsky.social · Sep 5

Nice to see organizations like the @autismsciencefd.bsky.social and @defendpublichealth.bsky.social getting ahead of these potential forthcoming claims in RFK Jr.'s eventual autism report. More of this needed and in other forums too. 🛟😷🧪 sociology

Here's Autism Science Foundation's statement...

Statement from Autism Science Foundation Regarding Wall Street Journal Report “RFK Jr., HHS to Link Autism to Tylenol Use in Pregnancy and Folate Deficiencies” - Autism Science Foundation

(September 5, 2025, 4:00 pm ET) This afternoon, The Wall Street Journal reported that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will announce later this month that Tylenol has been identified as a cause of...

autismsciencefoundation.org

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Aug 31

How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,’s Anti-Vax Agenda Is Infecting America

Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · Aug 30

Each Friday, I write up the impacts to science 🧪& higher ed. This was Week 32:

+ Chaos & courage as CDC Director Monarez fired & 4 top leaders resign
+ FDA limits COVID vax eligibility, pharmacies restricting access
+ pocket rescission, sad research shut downs & more

buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 32

Aug 23-29, 2025 - on persistence vs consistence

buttondown.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · Aug 28

I have initial confirmation of a CDC walkout happening - will be looking for news coverage & more details.

Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · Aug 28

Massive walkout underway at CDC.

RFK jr. must resign so that we can be safe.

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Aug 21

www.propublica.org/article/rfk-...
Excellent and disturbing article. Pleased to have contributed some background.

RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.

While touting a $50 million initiative to identify the causes of autism, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is helping lead an administration that is rolling back protections against pollution and toxic chemicals,...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · Aug 20

Developmental stuttering involves speech disfluencies (blocks, prolongations, repetitions). We sequenced all protein-coding genes of 85 parent-child trios in which the child stuttered, & found (likely) pathogenic DNA variants in 4 genes also implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. New paper:👇🗣️🧬🧪

De novo protein-coding gene variants in developmental stuttering - Molecular Psychiatry

Molecular Psychiatry - De novo protein-coding gene variants in developmental stuttering

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Jonathan Peelle @jpeelle.bsky.social · Aug 21

Really amazing work that challenges some long-held beliefs about cortical plasticity.

"We show adult sensory body maps are unaltered after amputation, suggesting deprivation-driven plasticity is even more marginal than argued by the strongest opponents of cortical reorganization."

Hunter Schone @hunterschone.bsky.social · Aug 21

Now out in @natneuro.nature.com

What happens to the brain’s body map when a body-part is removed?

Scanning patients before and up to 5 yrs after arm amputation, we discovered the brain’s body map is strikingly preserved despite amputation

www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02037-7

🧵1/18

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Aug 19

Interesting critique

Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Nora Newcombe @noranewcombe.bsky.social · Aug 17

Please sign! Science funding got strong support from the Senate but is now in the House! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

CE-Letter to Congress Requesting Protection of Science Funding in the FY26 Budget

To: The Honorable Members of the United States Congress Dear Honorable Senators and Representatives, We write in our individual capacities as U.S. citizens to urge you to prevent the far-reaching cons...

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Nora Newcombe @noranewcombe.bsky.social · Aug 7

A letter signed by thoysands of members of the National Academies but also open for community endorsement . Please sign! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

CE-Letter to Congress Requesting Protection of Science Funding in the FY26 Budget

To: The Honorable Members of the United States Congress Dear Honorable Senators and Representatives, We write in our individual capacities as U.S. citizens to urge you to prevent the far-reaching cons...

docs.google.com

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Aug 7

Excited to co-host this workshop! Lots of great speakers and opportunities to learn about best practices for fNIRS research with autistic children

Pauline Maes @paulinemaes.bsky.social · Aug 7

Helen @htagerf.bsky.social and I teamed up with NIRx @nirx-nirs.bsky.social to host a very special application-focused workshop on the use of fNIRS in autism research! Join us on September 19 & 20 2025 at Boston University!

Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/fnirs-in-a...

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

HealthBegins @healthbegins.bsky.social · Aug 1

We're taking major steps back in #publichealth and instead of addressing the important issues we're creating more distractions. #SDOH

Why are American kids getting sicker? www.vox.com/life/421703/... by @annanorth.bsky.social via @vox.com CC: @laurenwisk.bsky.social @htagerf.bsky.social

Why are American kids getting sicker?

What MAHA gets wrong about kids’ health.

www.vox.com

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Aug 1

A remarkable lack of perspective taking!

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · Jul 31

Ousted members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices describe RFK Jr.’s first meeting—featuring anti-vaccine presenters pushing unfounded claims.

They now call for the creation of an independent vaccine panel outside the federal government.

zurl.co/x2itL

Ousted vaccine panel members say rigorous science is being abandoned under RFK Jr.

Seventeen experts ousted from a U.S. vaccine committee are expressing little faith in what the panel has become.

zurl.co

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Cognitive Science Society @cogscisociety.bsky.social · Jul 31

Huge congratulations to the brilliant Nora Newcombe, recipient of the 2025 David E. Rumelhart Prize! 🏅#CogSci2025

Nora S. Newcombe and Robert Glushko stand together smiling on stage at CogSci 2025. Nora wears the Rumelhart Prize medal around her neck

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Natalia Vélez @natvelali.bsky.social · Aug 1

Notes from @noranewcombe.bsky.social 's beautiful Rumelhart Prize "tasting menu" - congratulations Nora!!! #CogSci2025

Sketchnote of Nora Newcombe's Rumelhart Prize Talk, posing three questions and case studies for cognitive science: (1) innateness (with the geometric module as a case study), (2) representations (featuring cognitive maps vs. graphs), and (3) embodiment (featuring mental rotation)

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Helen Tager-Flusberg @htagerf.bsky.social · Jul 24

Congratulations!

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Laurel Joy Gabard-Durnam @laurelgd.bsky.social · Jul 24

Delighted to share Resources for Researchers webpage has received a 2025 Commendation from @improvingpsych.org! We look forward to continuing this work to help everyone navigate academia and help academia be more welcoming to everyone!
www.plasticityinneurodevelopmentlab.com/resourcesfor...

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · Jun 30

What we heard this week 🧵 #Medsky
"I think the NIH director understands that if you would say 'whenever possible,' that's the end. That's the kiss of death." -- @htagerf.bsky.social, of @bostonu.bsky.social, discussing patient privacy in federal #autism research.
www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...

HHS Hunts for New Autism Links While David Geier Searches for 'Lost' Vaccine Data

Autism research undergoing a major shift under RFK Jr.

www.medpagetoday.com

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Reposted by Helen Tager-Flusberg

Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · Jun 27

How children master language in early life is one of the central questions of human biology. My fab colleague & friend @carorowland.bsky.social has an important new framework paper, which she breaks down in this fascinating thread. Big implications for how we think about genetic contributions too.👇🧪

Caroline Rowland @carorowland.bsky.social · Jun 27

Children are incredible language learning machines. But how do they do it? Our latest paper, just published in TICS, synthesizes decades of evidence to propose four components that must be built into any theory of how children learn language. 1/
www.cell.com/trends/cogni... @mpi-nl.bsky.social

Constructing language: a framework for explaining acquisition

Explaining how children build a language system is a central goal of research in language acquisition, with broad implications for language evolution, adult language processing, and artificial intelli...

www.cell.com

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