Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
This summer, the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) will launch the Adult Autism Program, with services focused on mental health, life skills, and social connections for supporting quality of life in autistic adults and their families.
April is Autism Acceptance Month — a time to recognize those on the autism spectrum, provide support, improve access to services and celebrate neurodiverse identities. Autism is a developmental disability, meaning it displays itself during the pediatric period, according to senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin Waisman Center and director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Leann DaWalt.
A new research study at the Waisman Center has been funded by the Eagles Autism Foundation to develop a precise, safe, and broadly applicable method for correcting a single-gene mutation associated with symptoms of autism spectrum disorders including learning deficits, anxiety, depression, and reduced social interactions.
Down syndrome, a neurodevelopmental condition caused by a triplicated 21st chromosome, often presents with co-occurring developmental conditions such as autism. But diagnosing autism in someone with Down syndrome can be difficult as they have overlapping symptoms.
Waisman Investigator Daifeng Wang, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and medical informatics, was featured on this article by the School of Medicine and Public Health on how artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing medical research at UW.
The Waisman Center celebrates the selection of Xinyu Zhao, PhD, a principal investigator renowned for her work in neural stem cells and neurodevelopment, as one of the esteemed recipients of a 2025 Eagles Autism Foundation research grant.
Relationships are hard. It’s part of why there are countless books, podcasts, and blog posts about how to build, maintain, and keep relationships.
Researchers at the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) were recently awarded a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to support research to improve the health and well-being of children and youth with autism.
Temple Grandin, PhD, is likely the most well-known living autistic individual, both nationally and internationally.
Just like a car factory relies on inspectors to ensure that every vehicle is built correctly, cells depend on internal quality control systems to keep proteins functioning as they should. New research from Waisman Center investigator Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reveals that disruptions in one such system—the endoplasmic reticulum’s acetylation pathway—can lead to rare forms of autism and progeria, offering fresh insights into the cellular roots of these complex conditions.
