Liz Pellicano is professor of autism at University College London in the United Kingdom
Liz Pellicano
Director, Centre for Research in Autism and Education
University College London
From this contributor
We need better strategies to support autistic people as the COVID-19 crisis continues
Interviews with autistic people reveal that many miss their friends and opportunities for social connection, in stark contrast to orthodox views that they have little social motivation and prefer a life of self-isolation.
We need better strategies to support autistic people as the COVID-19 crisis continues
By
Liz Pellicano
8 September 2020 | 6 min read
General practitioners urgently need autism training
Many general practitioners in the United Kingdom do not receive autism training, and report having little confidence in caring for patients on the spectrum.
General practitioners urgently need autism training
By
Laura Crane, Liz Pellicano, The Conversation
17 May 2017 | 5 min read
Friendships pose unique challenges for women on the spectrum
Women with autism value friendships as much as their neurotypical peers do, but they often have difficulty forming and maintaining them.
Friendships pose unique challenges for women on the spectrum
By
Liz Pellicano, Felicity Sedgewick
16 May 2017 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
By
Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
By
Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
By
P. Robin Hiesinger
2 November 2026 | 6 min read