Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz AFTER the webinar at autism.org/understanding-and-supporting-puberty
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social challenges and difficulty with transitions. Puberty – a time of remarkable physical, psychosocial and physiological changes – is a pivotal and precarious transition for autistic youth, especially girls. A comprehensive, multilevel, longitudinal study is offering insights to elucidate, educate and support this vital developmental period.
Blythe A. Corbett, Ph.D., is the James G. Blakemore Chair and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is the Director of the Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) lab, a translational research program focused on better understanding and treating social competence and stress in children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across development. In recent years, Dr. Corbett’s research has led to important findings related to the timing and trajectory of puberty, adolescence and mental health. Through generous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIMH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Dr. Corbett’s research aims to better understand, support and track development, especially in autistic females. To date, Dr. Corbett’s program of research has led to over 95 original peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals.
In this webinar:
1:15 – Outline
5:10 – Adolescence, puberty & associated risks
9:25 – Measuring puberty
13:15 – Autistic vs. allistic pubertal onset
19:00 – Cortisol levels in autistic young people
25:25 – Depression in young people with autism
32:15 – Testosterone and development
37:00 – Gender identity
43:00 – Conclusions & future research
47:30 – Q&A
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz AFTER the webinar at autism.org/understanding-and-supporting-puberty
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social challenges and difficulty with transitions. Puberty – a time of remarkable physical, psychosocial and physiological changes – is a pivotal and precarious transition for autistic youth, especially girls. A comprehensive, multilevel, longitudinal study is offering insights to elucidate, educate and support this vital developmental period.
Blythe A. Corbett, Ph.D., is the James G. Blakemore Chair and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is the Director of the Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) lab, a translational research program focused on better understanding and treating social competence and stress in children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across development. In recent years, Dr. Corbett’s research has led to important findings related to the timing and trajectory of puberty, adolescence and mental health. Through generous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIMH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Dr. Corbett’s research aims to better understand, support and track development, especially in autistic females. To date, Dr. Corbett’s program of research has led to over 95 original peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals.
In this webinar:
1:15 – Outline
5:10 – Adolescence, puberty & associated risks
9:25 – Measuring puberty
13:15 – Autistic vs. allistic pubertal onset
19:00 – Cortisol levels in autistic young people
25:25 – Depression in young people with autism
32:15 – Testosterone and development
37:00 – Gender identity
43:00 – Conclusions & future research
47:30 – Q&A
