Autism

What we do

Our research explores the changes related to age and gender in older adults with autism, focusing on both strengths and vulnerabilities. Additionally, we extend behavioral interventions to address challenges such as depression, anxiety, quality of life and social communication issues for individuals across different age groups. The team places a strong emphasis on education and training, offering learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students in various programs with clinical training for students studying speech-language pathology. We collaborate with the Employment Assistance and Social Engagement program (EASE) and participate in the Interdisciplinary Multicultural Professional Autism Clinical Training (IMPACT) training grant. This grant is led by Drs. Rotheram-Fuller and Scherer, to provide specialized education and clinical experiences for students in speech-language pathology and special education with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorder and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education.

A digital illustration shows a transparent side view of a human head and brain, with different brain regions highlighted in vivid colors, emphasizing neurological structure and complexity.

Engagement

Team leads

Blair Braden, Ph.D.

B. Blair Braden is an associate professor in the College of Health Solutions and director of the Autism and Brain Aging Laboratory. She received her doctorate in behavioral neuroscience (psychology) from ASU in 2012. She completed her postdoctoral training in neuroimaging and neuropsychology at Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. The Autism Brain Aging Laboratory is pioneering research on age-related changes in older adults with autism, emphasizing sex differences through a distinctive longitudinal study examining cognitive and brain aging.

Team Co-Lead. Head of Research
Associate Professor, College of Health Solutions
[email protected]

Maria V. Dixon, SLP

With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Maria Dixon has dedicated her career to helping children and adults with communication disorders, particularly those with autism spectrum disorders. She has provided direct assessment and intervention services for children and young adults with ASD, working closely with their families to support their communication needs. She is a co-founder of the Employment Assistance and Social Engagement program. This interdisciplinary initiative, between the Fulton Schools of Engineering and the College of Health Solutions, offers support to engineering students with ASD throughout their academic journey and transition into the workforce.

Team Co-Lead, Head of Education
Clinical Professor, College of Health Solutions
[email protected]

Nicole Matthews, Ph.D.

Dr. Matthews’ research program includes multiple lines of research with a broad goal of improving the quality of life for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. Her recent research includes: (1) development and testing of adaptive functioning and social skills interventions for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder; (2) the development of novel methods for improving access to autism screening and evaluation, and (3) evaluation of original Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) programs. Dr. Matthews is also the supervisor of the PEERS program at SARRC and is a certified PEERS provider.

Team Co-Lead, Head of Community Involvement
Director of Research at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center
[email protected]

Student Involvement

Our translational team offers comprehensive training for students in both research and clinical practice. Internship opportunities are available through the EASE program and students may also engage with the team in various research projects.

Our research-focused programs aim to foster students' development towards their future goals, whether it be pursuing further education or entering the industry. Additionally, we provide support to autistic students in engineering through the EASE program, as well as through group activities previously offered by the Advocating Sun Devils student group. Clinical students gain skills in assessment and intervention for autistic clients, while research students develop expertise in experimental design, data collection, analysis and dissemination.We also support undergraduate, master's and PhD students in conducting research, including thesis and dissertation work.

Our students come from a diverse background including speech and hearing science, neuroscience, exercise and wellness, bioinformatics, engineering and psychology. We plan to continu

Community Partners

Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC)
Barrow Neurological Institute
Translational Genomic Research Institute
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute
Mayo Clinic
Local school districts and community organizations, including the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix

Where we work

ASU Tempe campus
1151 S Forest Ave
Tempe AZ 85281

Mayo Clinic
13400 E Shea Blvd
Scottsdale AZ 85259

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
445 N 5th St
4th Floor
Phoenix AZ 85004

Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC)
300 N 18th St
Phoenix AZ 85006

Current projects

The Autism Brain Aging Laboratory is conducting a study to examine age-related changes in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging. They are recruiting adults without ASD to serve as healthy controls for comparison. The study aims to understand how aging affects cognition and to develop targeted interventions for adults with ASD, ultimately supporting a precision medicine approach to predicting and treating neurodegeneration and accelerated cognitive aging in this population. Participation is voluntary and includes memory and thinking assessments (3 hours), an MRI scan (2 hours), questionnaires, and optional saliva and blood samples, with study visits repeated every two years to track brain changes over time. Participants will receive compensation for each visit.

Completed projects

Through National Institute for Mental Health funding, the objectives of this research are to characterize hippocampal aging trajectories and identify the combination of MRI measures that best predict accelerated memory decline in middle-age and older adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to matched non-ASD. This is relevant to public health because findings will advance fundamental knowledge of brain aging vulnerabilities and mechanisms in ASD. Our long-term goal is identifying biomarkers and intervention targets for precision medicine care of aging autistic adults.

Whole genome analysis of subjects is also being done to evaluate individuals with ASD for elevated Alzheimer’s polygenic risk, through funding from the Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Project Development grant. We will correlate the risk score with existing longitudinal and cognitive brain data.

This project evaluates our newly developed Strengthening Skills intervention which combines social skill training with cognitive compensation training, mindfulness-based emotional regulation, and support group work to improve independence and quality of life in adults with autism spectrum disorder. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The project also includes the evaluation of clinical-grade speech and language biomarkers to measure quality of life, cognition and social communication via personal mobile devices.

This project involves assessing the impact of weekly psycho-educational meetings paired with daily mindfulness meditation through a mobile app on teens with autism. The goal is to reduce stress, anxiety and depression while improving the overall quality of life for these individuals.

This project involves assessing the impact of weekly psycho-educational meetings paired with daily mindfulness meditation through a mobile app on teens with autism. The goal is to reduce stress, anxiety and depression while improving the overall quality of life for these individuals.

This work examines if habit formation techniques in a meditation app improve depression outcomes in autistic adults across their lifespans.

This project is being carried out through a Health Resources and Services Administration Autism Single Investigator Innovation Program (Autism-SIIP) — Autism Transitions Research Project grant.

Autism

On This Page:

What we do

Engagement

Team leads

Blair Braden, Ph.D.

Maria V. Dixon, SLP

Nicole Matthews, Ph.D.

Student Involvement

Community Partners

Where we work

Current projects

The Influence of Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated Genetics on Aging with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Completed projects

Longitudinal Aging – Behavior and Physiology

Multi-component behavioral intervention designed to increase functional independence during aging in ASD

Arizona Independence Initiative and Technology Innovation to Benefit Neurodiverse Adults

Investigating a Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Anxiety and Depression in Teens with ASD and Caregivers

Anchoring Habits Among Autistic Adults to Increase Meditation App Adherence for Depression Reduction

Experiences of Transition Age Latino Youth with Autism: Understanding and Addressing Health and Access to Care Disparities