What's actually happening in the brain when an autistic individual struggles to shift gears, adapt to change, or break out of a repetitive thought pattern? This week, host Jeffrey Skibitsky sits down with Dr. Lucina Uddin, neuroscientist and director of the Brain Connectivity and Cognition Laboratory at UCLA, to explore one of the most important and least-discussed topics in autism research: cognitive flexibility.

Dr. Uddin breaks down how brain networks switch between internal thinking and external awareness, what happens when that switching system gets overloaded, and why some autistic individuals get stuck in a loop even when they have every skill needed to problem-solve in calmer moments.

She also shares a surprising research finding: bilingual children with autism showed stronger inhibitory skills than their monolingual peers, suggesting that natural language exposure at home may support cognitive flexibility in ways families can start building today.

Resources:

Lucina Q. Uddin, Ph.D. (she/her)

Dr. Uddin's lab at UCLA is currently recruiting children ages 8 to 12 with an autism diagnosis for a paid brain study on bilingualism and cognitive flexibility. Families can earn up to $300 for participating. To learn more or sign up, contact [email protected] or call 323-609-5866. 

In this episode:

Whether you're a parent, clinician, or educator, this episode gives you a new lens for understanding why flexibility can be hard and concrete reasons for hope.

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