Catherine Lord is distinguished professor of psychiatry and education at the University of California, Los Angeles. She specializes in diagnosis, social and communication development, and intervention in autism.
Catherine Lord
Director, Center for Autism and the Developing Brain
Weill Cornell Medicine
From this contributor
Your questions about the Lancet Commission and ‘profound autism,’ answered
Tony Charman and Catherine Lord answer questions from Spectrum’s webinar on the Lancet Commission’s recommendations for autism research.
Your questions about the Lancet Commission and ‘profound autism,’ answered
By
Spectrum
15 February 2022 | 6 min read
Catherine Lord: Lessons from a storied career in autism research
Catherine Lord's career has been defined by relationships: with mentors, protegees and, above all, with autistic people and their families.
Catherine Lord: Lessons from a storied career in autism research
By
Catherine Lord
3 December 2019 | 6 min read
Measures of success for adults with autism need to mature
As children with autism grow into adults, the challenge is in measuring the skills that matter most in their daily lives.
Measures of success for adults with autism need to mature
By
Catherine Lord
17 November 2015 | 5 min read
Optimal outcome
Some children classified as having autism outgrow their diagnosis, but it’s not yet clear why this group does better, says Cathy Lord.
Autism and the arts: “Lucy” captures disorder‘s complexity
Itʼs not often that movies, books and plays represent science accurately, or with a true and empathetic understanding of its complexity.
Autism and the arts: “Lucy” captures disorder‘s complexity
By
Catherine Lord
28 January 2008 | 5 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
By
Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
By
Erin Calipari
14 April 2026 | 5 min read
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
By
Juan Gallego
13 April 2026 | 8 min read