Autism Research Centre

The Autism Research Centre (ARC) www.autismresearchcentre.com was established at the University of Cambridge in 1997, to facilitate the interaction of scientists and clinicians working to understand autism spectrum conditions.

The ARC is based at Douglas House (the Developmental Psychiatry Section of the University of Cambridge) within the School of Clinical Medicine.

It is partnered with Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and the National Autistic Society. The ARC carries out research within 3 major programs (see A, B, and C below), fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.

In addition the ARC links this research with clinical practice, developing improved screening tools and intervention techniques.

Finally, the ARC provides opportunities for career development for clinical and non-clinical scientists, and encourages dissemination and exchange of new findings by scientists at every level. A brief history of the ARC is provided below the figure.

ARC: some historical contributions

1985: The ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) hypothesis of autism
1989: The ‘specific developmental delay’ hypothesis of autism
1989: Joint-attention recognized as a key developmental precursor to ToM
1992: Lowering the age of diagnosis of autism to 18 months old
1994: The orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) theory of the brain basis of ToM in autism
1995: The ‘mindblindness’ theory published (MIT Press).
1996: Population study of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)
1997: Establishment of the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge
1997: The extreme male brain (EMB) theory of autism
1997: ‘Teaching children with autism to mind-read’ (Wiley).
1997: The broader phenotype of autism identified in parents
1997: Linking autism to parents or siblings who are high ‘systemizers’
1999: The amygdala theory of the brain basis of ToM in autism
2000: Establishment of the Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service (CLASS)
2001: The androgen (prenatal testosterone) theory of autism
2001: Linking foetal testosterone to post-natal eye-contact and vocabulary development
2001: Superior attention to detail in autism demonstrated
2001: Prevalence of Asperger Syndrome in childhood reported as 1 in 166. 
2001: Neonatal sex differences in social interest
2002: The ‘empathizing-systemizing (E-S)’ theory of sex differences
2002 : The ‘extreme male brain’ (EMB) theory of autism
2003: DVD-ROM for teaching people with autism to recognize emotions (jkp.com)
2003: ‘The Essential Difference: Men, Women, and the Extreme Male Brain’ (Penguin)
2004: ‘Prenatal Testosterone in Mind’ (MIT Press)
2005 : The ‘Assortative Mating’ theory of autism