[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.12,0:00:03.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I always wanted to become
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.03,0:00:05.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a walking laboratory of social engagement,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.87,0:00:09.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to resonate other people's feelings, thoughts,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.94,0:00:14.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,intentions, motivations, in the act of being with them.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.100,0:00:20.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a scientist, I always wanted to measure that resonance,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.88,0:00:23.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that sense of the other that happens so quickly,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.38,0:00:25.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the blink of an eye.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.68,0:00:28.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We intuit other people's feelings.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.03,0:00:29.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We know the meaning of their actions
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.02,0:00:31.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even before they happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.96,0:00:33.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're always in this stance of being
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.86,0:00:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the object of somebody else's subjectivity.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.83,0:00:40.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We do that all the time. We just can't shake it off.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.02,0:00:41.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's so important that the very tools that we use
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.68,0:00:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to understand ourselves, to understand
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.08,0:00:48.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the world around them, is shaped by that stance.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.23,0:00:51.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are social to the core.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.46,0:00:54.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So my journey in autism really started when I lived
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.23,0:00:57.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a residential unit for adults with autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.81,0:01:01.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of those individuals had spent most of their lives
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.13,0:01:05.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in long-stay hospitals. This is a long time ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.02,0:01:09.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for them, autism was devastating.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.30,0:01:12.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They had profound intellectual disabilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.56,0:01:15.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They didn't talk. But most of all,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.86,0:01:19.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were extraordinarily isolated
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.69,0:01:22.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the world around them, from their environment
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.93,0:01:25.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and from the people.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.39,0:01:28.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, at the time, if you walked into a school
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.24,0:01:32.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for individuals with autism, you'd hear a lot of noise,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.27,0:01:37.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plenty of commotion, actions, people doing things,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.73,0:01:41.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they're always doing things by themselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.46,0:01:45.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So they may be looking at a light in the ceiling,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.53,0:01:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they may be isolated in the corner,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.94,0:01:52.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they might be engaged in these repetitive movements,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.50,0:01:56.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in self-stimulatory movements that led them nowhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.70,0:02:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Extremely, extremely isolated.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.10,0:02:03.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, now we know that autism
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.69,0:02:07.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is this disruption, the disruption of this resonance
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.43,0:02:09.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I am telling you.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.77,0:02:11.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are survival skills.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.73,0:02:13.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are survival skills that we inherited
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.88,0:02:16.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over many, many hundreds of thousands of years
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.43,0:02:18.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of evolution.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.72,0:02:24.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see, babies are born in a state of utter fragility.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.03,0:02:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Without the caregiver, they wouldn't survive, so it stands
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.06,0:02:28.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reason that nature would endow them with
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.45,0:02:31.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these mechanisms of survival.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.68,0:02:34.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They orient to the caregiver.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.26,0:02:37.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,From the first days and weeks of life,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.70,0:02:41.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,babies prefer to hear human sounds rather than just
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.18,0:02:43.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sounds in the environment.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.13,0:02:45.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They prefer to look at people rather than at things,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.14,0:02:47.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even as they're looking at people,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.18,0:02:49.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they look at people's eyes, because
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.75,0:02:54.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the eye is the window to the other person's experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.10,0:02:56.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so much so that they even prefer to look at people who are
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.21,0:03:00.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking at them rather than people who are looking away.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.52,0:03:03.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, they orient to the caregiver.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.13,0:03:05.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The caregiver seeks the baby.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.46,0:03:09.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's out of this mutually reinforcing choreography
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.08,0:03:12.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that a lot that is of importance to the emergence of mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.90,0:03:17.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the social mind, the social brain, depends on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.59,0:03:20.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We always think about autism
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.27,0:03:25.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as something that happens later on in life.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.35,0:03:30.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It doesn't. It begins with the beginning of life.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.74,0:03:35.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As babies engage with caregivers, they soon realize
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.05,0:03:39.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that, well, there is something in between the ears
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.26,0:03:40.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is very important --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.67,0:03:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's invisible, you can't see -- but is really critical,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.85,0:03:46.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that thing is called attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.31,0:03:49.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they learn soon enough, even before they can
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.14,0:03:51.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,utter one word that they can take that attention
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.82,0:03:57.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and move somewhere in order to get things they want.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.56,0:04:00.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They also learn to follow other people's gaze,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.68,0:04:02.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because whatever people are looking at is
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.95,0:04:06.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what they are thinking about.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.70,0:04:09.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And soon enough, they start to learn about the meaning
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.35,0:04:12.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of things, because when somebody is looking at something
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.77,0:04:14.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or somebody is pointing at something,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.82,0:04:17.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're not just getting a directional cue,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.75,0:04:20.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are getting the other person's meaning
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.31,0:04:23.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of that thing, the attitude, and soon enough
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.39,0:04:27.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they start building this body of meanings,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.49,0:04:29.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but meanings that were acquired within the realm
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.80,0:04:32.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of social interaction.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.20,0:04:34.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those are meanings that are acquired as part
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.04,0:04:38.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of their shared experiences with others.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.03,0:04:44.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, this is a little 15-month-old little girl,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.86,0:04:48.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she has autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.59,0:04:52.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I am coming so close to her that I am maybe
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.02,0:04:56.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two inches from her face, and she's quite oblivious to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.26,0:04:57.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine if I did that to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.62,0:04:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I came two inches from your face.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.55,0:05:01.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You'd do probably two things, wouldn't you?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.66,0:05:05.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You would recoil. You would call the police. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.77,0:05:08.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You would do something, because it's literally impossible
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.32,0:05:10.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to penetrate somebody's physical space
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.89,0:05:12.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not get a reaction.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.25,0:05:15.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We do so, remember, intuitively, effortlessly.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.93,0:05:17.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is our body wisdom. It's not something that is
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.35,0:05:21.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mediated by our language. Our body just knows that,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.90,0:05:24.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we've known that for a long time.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.66,0:05:27.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is not something that happens to humans only.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.60,0:05:30.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It happens to some of our phylatic cousins,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.82,0:05:32.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because if you're a monkey,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.82,0:05:34.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you look at another monkey,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.91,0:05:38.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that monkey has a higher hierarchy position than you,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.93,0:05:42.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is considered to be a signal or threat,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.48,0:05:45.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,well, you are not going to be alive for long.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.36,0:05:49.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So something that in other species are survival mechanisms,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.79,0:05:53.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without them they wouldn't basically live,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.21,0:05:55.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we bring into the context of human beings,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.91,0:06:00.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is what we need to simply act, act socially.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.07,0:06:02.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, she is oblivious to me, and I am so close to her,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.97,0:06:04.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you think, maybe she can see you,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.97,0:06:06.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe she can hear you.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.59,0:06:08.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, a few minutes later, she goes to the corner of
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.93,0:06:14.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the room, and she finds a tiny little piece of candy, an M&M.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.53,0:06:19.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I could not attract her attention,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.40,0:06:21.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but something, a thing, did.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.83,0:06:24.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, most of us make a big dichotomy
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.47,0:06:28.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between the world of things and the world of people.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.81,0:06:33.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, for this girl, that division line is not so clear,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.40,0:06:36.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the world of people is not attracting her
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.53,0:06:38.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as much as we would like.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.01,0:06:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now remember that we learn a great deal
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.04,0:06:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by sharing experiences.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.44,0:06:45.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, what she is doing right now is that
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.62,0:06:50.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,her path of learning is diverging moment by moment
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.10,0:06:53.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as she is isolating herself further and further.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.91,0:06:56.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we feel sometimes that the brain is deterministic,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.88,0:06:59.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the brain determines who we are going to be.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.40,0:07:02.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in fact the brain also becomes who we are,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.24,0:07:06.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at the same time that her behaviors are taking away
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.25,0:07:09.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the realm of social interaction, this is what's happening
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.14,0:07:14.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with her mind and this is what's happening with her brain.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.53,0:07:20.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, autism is the most strongly genetic condition
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.37,0:07:23.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of all developmental disorders,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.82,0:07:26.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a brain disorder.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.70,0:07:29.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a disorder that begins much prior to the time
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.30,0:07:32.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the child is born.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.17,0:07:35.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We now know that there is a very broad spectrum of autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.88,0:07:38.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are those individuals who are profoundly
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.40,0:07:41.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,intellectually disabled, but there are those that are gifted.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.39,0:07:43.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are those individuals who don't talk at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.52,0:07:45.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are those individuals who talk too much.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.79,0:07:48.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are those individuals that if you observe them
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.30,0:07:51.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in their school, you see them running the periphery fence
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.30,0:07:53.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the school all day if you let them,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.60,0:07:55.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to those individuals who cannot stop coming to you
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.96,0:07:57.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and trying to engage you repeatedly, relentlessly,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.97,0:08:01.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but often in an awkward fashion,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.90,0:08:05.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without that immediate resonance.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.67,0:08:09.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, this is much more prevalent than we thought at the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.60,0:08:11.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I started in this field, we thought that there were
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.09,0:08:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,four individuals with autism per 10,000,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.94,0:08:15.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a very rare condition.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.97,0:08:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, now we know it's more like one in 100.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.00,0:08:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are millions of individuals with autism all around us.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.03,0:08:28.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The societal cost of this condition is huge.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.39,0:08:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the U.S. alone, maybe 35 to 80 billion dollars,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.56,0:08:34.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you know what? Most of those funds are associated
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.86,0:08:37.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with adolescents and particularly adults
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.04,0:08:39.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are severely disabled,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.20,0:08:41.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,individuals who need wrap-around services, services
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.34,0:08:44.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are very, very intensive, and those services
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.07,0:08:48.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can cost in excess of 60 to 80,000 dollars a year.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.34,0:08:51.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those are individuals who did not benefit from early treatment,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.90,0:08:56.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because now we know that autism creates itself
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.36,0:08:59.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as they diverge in that pathway of learning
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.06,0:09:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I mentioned to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.20,0:09:03.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Were we to be able to identify this condition
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.61,0:09:07.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at an earlier point, and intervene and treat,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.68,0:09:09.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can tell you, and this has been probably
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.65,0:09:13.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something that has changed my life in the past 10 years,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.03,0:09:16.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this notion that we can absolutely attenuate
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.76,0:09:18.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this condition.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.92,0:09:21.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, we have a window of opportunity, because
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.30,0:09:24.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the brain is malleable for just so long,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.44,0:09:25.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that window of opportunity happens
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.79,0:09:27.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the first three years of life.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.49,0:09:30.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not that that window closes. It doesn't.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.89,0:09:34.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it diminishes considerably.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.46,0:09:37.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, the median age of diagnosis in this country
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.56,0:09:39.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is still about five years,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.71,0:09:41.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in disadvantaged populations,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.98,0:09:45.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the populations that don't have access to clinical services,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.23,0:09:48.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rural populations, minorities,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.34,0:09:50.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the age of diagnosis is later still,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.96,0:09:53.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is almost as if I were to tell you that we are
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.30,0:09:55.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,condemning those communities to have individuals
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.72,0:10:00.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with autism whose condition is going to be more severe.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.20,0:10:03.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I feel that we have a bio-ethical imperative.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.17,0:10:06.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The science is there,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.02,0:10:09.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but no science is of relevance if it doesn't have an impact
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.08,0:10:12.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the community, and we just can't afford
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.74,0:10:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that missed opportunity,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.70,0:10:17.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because children with autism become adults with autism,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.86,0:10:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we feel that those things that we can do
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.14,0:10:24.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for these children, for those families, early on,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.46,0:10:26.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will have lifetime consequences,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.86,0:10:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the child, for the family, and for the community at large.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.95,0:10:33.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is our view of autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.67,0:10:36.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are over a hundred genes that are associated
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.54,0:10:38.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with autism. In fact, we believe that there are going to be
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.66,0:10:43.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something between 300 and 600 genes associated with autism,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.17,0:10:46.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and genetic anomalies, much more than just genes.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.84,0:10:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we actually have a bit of a question here,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.43,0:10:54.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because if there are so many different causes of autism,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.92,0:10:57.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do you go from those liabilities
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.93,0:11:00.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the actual syndrome? Because people like myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.93,0:11:03.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we walk into a playroom,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.62,0:11:06.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we recognize a child as having autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.84,0:11:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how do you go from multiple causes
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.98,0:11:12.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a syndrome that has some homogeneity?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:12.43,0:11:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the answer is, what lies in between,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.00,0:11:17.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is development.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.66,0:11:20.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in fact, we are very interested in those first
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.78,0:11:23.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two years of life, because those liabilities
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.52,0:11:26.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don't necessarily convert into autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.27,0:11:28.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Autism creates itself.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.76,0:11:33.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Were we to be able to intervene during those years of life,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.61,0:11:36.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we might attenuate for some, and God knows,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.12,0:11:39.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe even prevent for others.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.75,0:11:41.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how do we do that?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.84,0:11:44.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How do we enter that feeling of resonance,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.75,0:11:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do we enter another person's being?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.78,0:11:52.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember when I interacted with that 15-month-older,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.28,0:11:54.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the thing that came to mind was,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.44,0:11:56.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"How do you come into her world?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.95,0:12:01.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is she thinking about me? Is she thinking about others?"
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.23,0:12:05.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, it's hard to do that, so we had to create
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.58,0:12:09.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the technologies. We had to basically step inside a body.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.06,0:12:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had to see the world through her eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.98,0:12:16.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so in the past many years we've been building
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.02,0:12:19.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these new technologies that are based on eye tracking.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.66,0:12:22.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can see moment by moment
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.18,0:12:25.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what children are engaging with.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.46,0:12:28.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, this is my colleague Warren Jones, with whom
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.18,0:12:31.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've been building these methods, these studies,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.15,0:12:33.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the past 12 years,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.14,0:12:35.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you see there a happy five-month-older,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.86,0:12:41.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's a five-month little boy who is going to watch things
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.69,0:12:44.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are brought from his world,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.51,0:12:47.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his mom, the caregiver, but also experiences
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.09,0:12:51.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he would have were he to be in his daycare.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.52,0:12:54.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we want is to embrace that world
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.15,0:12:55.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bring it into our laboratory,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.48,0:12:58.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in order for us to do that, we had to create
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.60,0:13:01.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these very sophisticated measures,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.85,0:13:05.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,measures of how people, how little babies,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.28,0:13:08.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how newborns, engage with the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.26,0:13:09.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moment by moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.89,0:13:13.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what is important, and what is not.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.16,0:13:16.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, we created those measures, and here,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.10,0:13:19.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what you see is what we call a funnel of attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.50,0:13:21.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're watching a video.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.84,0:13:24.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those frames are separated by about a second
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.49,0:13:27.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through the eyes of 35 typically developing
Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.26,0:13:28.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two-year-olds,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.54,0:13:31.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we freeze one frame,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.52,0:13:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is what the typical children are doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.02,0:13:39.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this scan pass, in green here, are two-year-olds with autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.46,0:13:43.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So on that frame, the children who are typical
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.08,0:13:46.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are watching this,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.04,0:13:48.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the emotion of expression of that little boy
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.59,0:13:51.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as he's fighting a little bit with the little girl.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.50,0:13:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the children with autism doing?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.56,0:13:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are focusing on the revolving door,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.00,0:13:59.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,opening and shutting.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.09,0:14:01.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, I can tell you that this divergence
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.55,0:14:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you're seeing here
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.42,0:14:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doesn't happen only in our five-minute experiment.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.60,0:14:09.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It happens moment by moment in their real lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.01,0:14:11.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and their minds are being formed,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.73,0:14:14.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and their brains are being specialized in something other
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.81,0:14:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than what is happening with their typical peers.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.58,0:14:21.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, we took a construct from
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.77,0:14:24.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our pediatrician friends,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.97,0:14:26.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the concept of growth charts.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:26.89,0:14:28.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, when you take a child to the pediatrician,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.86,0:14:33.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so you have physical height, and weight.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:33.07,0:14:35.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well we decided that we're going to create growth charts
Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.90,0:14:38.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of social engagement,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.35,0:14:41.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we sought children from the time that they are born,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.16,0:14:46.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what you see here on the x-axis is two, three, four,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.98,0:14:50.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,five, six months and nine, until about the age of 24 months,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.82,0:14:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is the percent of their viewing time
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.56,0:14:55.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they are focusing on people's eyes,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.25,0:14:57.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is their growth chart.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.61,0:15:00.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They start over here, they love people's eyes,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.64,0:15:03.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it remains quite stable.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.10,0:15:07.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It sort of goes up a little bit in those initial months.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.02,0:15:09.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, let's see what's happening with babies
Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.32,0:15:11.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who became autistic.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.82,0:15:14.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's something very different.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.03,0:15:17.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It starts way up here, but then it's a free fall.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.82,0:15:21.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's very much like they brought into this world the reflex
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.24,0:15:25.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that orients them to people, but it has no traction.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.17,0:15:28.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's almost as if that stimulus, you,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.24,0:15:31.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're not exerting influence on what happens
Dialogue: 0,0:15:31.14,0:15:35.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as they navigate their daily lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.03,0:15:41.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, we thought that those data were so powerful
Dialogue: 0,0:15:41.05,0:15:44.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a way, that we wanted to see what happened
Dialogue: 0,0:15:44.06,0:15:47.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the first six months of life, because if you interact
Dialogue: 0,0:15:47.45,0:15:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a two- and a three-month-older,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.79,0:15:53.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd be surprised by how social those babies are.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.34,0:15:55.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what we see in the first six months of life
Dialogue: 0,0:15:55.95,0:16:02.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that those two groups can be segregated very easily.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.09,0:16:04.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And using these kinds of measures, and many others,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.96,0:16:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we found out is that our science could, in fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.98,0:16:11.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,identify this condition early on.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.62,0:16:14.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We didn't have to wait for the behaviors of autism
Dialogue: 0,0:16:14.52,0:16:17.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to emerge in the second year of life.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:17.67,0:16:20.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we measured things that are, evolutionarily,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:20.93,0:16:25.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,highly conserved, and developmentally very early emerging,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.05,0:16:27.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things that are online from the first weeks of life,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:27.76,0:16:29.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we could push the detection of autism
Dialogue: 0,0:16:29.62,0:16:32.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the way to those first months,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.08,0:16:36.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that's what we are doing now.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:36.22,0:16:39.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, we can create the very best technologies
Dialogue: 0,0:16:39.29,0:16:42.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the very best methods to identify the children,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.90,0:16:46.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but this would be for naught if we didn't have an impact
Dialogue: 0,0:16:46.04,0:16:49.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on what happens in their reality in the community.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:49.68,0:16:51.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now we want those devices, of course,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:51.99,0:16:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be deployed by those who are in the trenches,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:54.84,0:16:57.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our colleagues, the primary care physicians,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.36,0:17:00.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who see every child,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.07,0:17:02.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we need to transform those technologies
Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.21,0:17:05.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into something that is going to add value to their practice,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:05.32,0:17:07.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they have to see so many children.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.52,0:17:09.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we want to do that universally
Dialogue: 0,0:17:09.59,0:17:11.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that we don't miss any child,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:11.73,0:17:14.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but this would be immoral
Dialogue: 0,0:17:14.18,0:17:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we also did not have an infrastructure for intervention,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:19.08,0:17:20.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for treatment.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.33,0:17:22.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to be able to work with the families,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.86,0:17:26.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to support the families, to manage those first years
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.28,0:17:30.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with them. We need to be able to really go
Dialogue: 0,0:17:30.19,0:17:34.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from universal screening to universal access to treatment,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:34.35,0:17:37.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because those treatments are going to change
Dialogue: 0,0:17:37.45,0:17:41.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these children's and those families' lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.03,0:17:45.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, when we think about what we [can] do
Dialogue: 0,0:17:45.29,0:17:48.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in those first years,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:48.51,0:17:50.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can tell you,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:50.91,0:17:53.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having been in this field for so long,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:53.74,0:17:56.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one feels really rejuvenated.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:56.83,0:18:00.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a sense that the science that one worked on
Dialogue: 0,0:18:00.66,0:18:04.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can actually have an impact on realities,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:04.37,0:18:07.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,preventing, in fact, those experiences
Dialogue: 0,0:18:07.27,0:18:11.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I really started in my journey in this field.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:11.27,0:18:14.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought at the time that this was an intractable condition.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:14.46,0:18:18.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No longer. We can do a great deal of things.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:18.35,0:18:21.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the idea is not to cure autism.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:21.08,0:18:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's not the idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:23.68,0:18:25.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we want is to make sure
Dialogue: 0,0:18:25.89,0:18:28.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that those individuals with autism can be free from
Dialogue: 0,0:18:28.46,0:18:32.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the devastating consequences that come with it at times,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:32.70,0:18:35.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the profound intellectual disabilities, the lack of language,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:35.57,0:18:39.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the profound, profound isolation.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:39.24,0:18:41.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We feel that individuals with autism, in fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:41.50,0:18:44.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have a very special perspective on the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:44.30,0:18:47.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we need diversity, and they can work extremely well
Dialogue: 0,0:18:47.72,0:18:50.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in some areas of strength:
Dialogue: 0,0:18:50.09,0:18:53.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,predictable situations, situations that can be defined.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:53.49,0:18:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because after all, they learn about the world almost like
Dialogue: 0,0:18:56.50,0:19:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about it, rather than learning how to function in it.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:01.20,0:19:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is a strength, if you're working, for example,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:04.00,0:19:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:06.08,0:19:08.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there are those individuals who have incredible
Dialogue: 0,0:19:08.35,0:19:09.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,artistic abilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:09.78,0:19:11.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We want them to be free of that.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:11.70,0:19:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We want that the next generations of individuals with autism
Dialogue: 0,0:19:15.08,0:19:18.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will be able not only to express their strengths
Dialogue: 0,0:19:18.24,0:19:20.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but to fulfill their promise.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:20.46,0:19:24.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well thank you for listening to me. (Applause)