News

A mother and daughter working on laptop; woman with long dark hair sits beside pre-teen daughter leaning against couch with laptop in their laps | Credit: JuYochi
April 28, 2024
The Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) project at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) has reached an incredible milestone―350,000 (and counting!) users now rely on AFIRM for evidence-based practices that can help learners with autism.
Two children being home-schooled by their father while sitting at the kitchen table
April 24, 2024
Racial disparities continue to exist in autism research, negatively impacting Black autistic children. They are misdiagnosed, receive access to inferior quality services, and are almost twice as likely as white autistic children to have a co-occurring intellectual disability. To examine this void, the National Institute of Mental Health funded the "Racism and Resilience among Black Autistic Children and Caregivers" project.
Brian Boyd; man in purple shirt stands outside in front of crepe myrtle tree
April 22, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Brian Boyd has been appointed permanent director of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). “We are grateful for Brian’s interim leadership,” says Penny Gordon-Larsen, Vice Chancellor for Research, “and excited to continue working with him in this critical role.”
Group of schoolkids wearing bright backpacks walking upstairs to school
April 17, 2024
The proportion of females diagnosed with autism in the state of North Carolina has increased steadily over a 20-year period, which likely reflects greater societal knowledge of how autism may manifest differently in females. This is a key finding of a recent report, “Are the diagnostic rates of autistic females increasing? An examination of state-wide trends,” published online in January 2024 in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.