On 23 January 2014 a team at the world-leading ‘Babylab’ at Birkbeck launched a new Europe-wide study of the early emergence of autism and ADHD. With over £2.5 million in funding, the team are now embarking upon the Studying Autism and ADHD Risk in Siblings (STAARS) project, which will map brain development from birth in order to identify the earliest signs of these lifelong social communication and attention disorders.

Dr Emily Jones explains the benefits that earlier diagnosis would bring to individuals with autism and ADHD and their families. She explains what the study is looking for and the techniques that the research team will be using to understand what is happening in infants’ brains. Charlotte Warner, whose son was involved in a previous study at the Babylab, talks about what it is like to involve your child in scientific research, and why she felt it was important to do so.