A Breakthrough on Getting Brain Scans on Children with Autism

Guests: Terisa Gabrielsen, Assistant Professor of School Psychology, BYU; Ryan Kellems, Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU; Mikle South, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, BYU  To undergo an MRI, you lie down and slide into a huge machine that makes loud noises while you hold completely still for up to 45 minutes. It’s a stressful thing for anyone –but for a child with autism, it can be totally overwhelming. Which is why not much brain scan research has been done to understand the neuroscience behind autism. But a team of researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah have developed a technique to ease the MRI process for autistic children.