Shannon Des Roches Rosa is senior editor at Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, parent to three ever-taller children, and a fan of her spouse’s work in public media science documentaries. She lives near San Francisco, California.
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
Managing editor
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism
From this contributor
Clinicians must put more effort into autism-specific medical care
Without it, autistic adults with high support needs like my son are missing out on treatments that could reduce their suffering and improve their quality of life.
Clinicians must put more effort into autism-specific medical care
By
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
14 March 2022 | 6 min read
How to help autistic children cope with pandemic lockdowns
Sheltering in place is especially hard for autistic children who dread changes in routine and who may have learned to repress their ways of managing stress. Here are tips to help them cope.
How to help autistic children cope with pandemic lockdowns
By
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
28 April 2020 | 4 min read
Autism meeting evolves to address needs of people on the spectrum
The annual meeting of International Society for Autism Research has aligned its offerings with the priorities of people with autism and their families.
Autism meeting evolves to address needs of people on the spectrum
By
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
1 May 2018 | 5 min read
A call to scientists to develop communication tools for autism
People with autism who speak few or no words need tools that can help them communicate. Scientists could make this happen.
A call to scientists to develop communication tools for autism
By
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
20 December 2016 | 6 min read
Before talking about autism, listen to families
Scientists should phrase their findings to be sensitive to the dignity and needs of people with autism.
Before talking about autism, listen to families
By
Shannon Des Roches Rosa
26 January 2016 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Portfolio of SCN2A gene variants, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 March.
Portfolio of SCN2A gene variants, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 March.
By
Jill Adams
10 March 2026 | 2 min read
Hippocampus builds reputation as ‘general-purpose statistical learning machine’
New cross-species findings may help settle a long-standing debate about whether the hippocampus is required for passive learning.
Hippocampus builds reputation as ‘general-purpose statistical learning machine’
New cross-species findings may help settle a long-standing debate about whether the hippocampus is required for passive learning.
By
Natalia Mesa
10 March 2026 | 5 min read
‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt
In his new book, Rogier Mars provides a detailed account of animal and human brain evolution. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, he starts with the sea squirt—and why it needs the brain it eats after its larval stage.
‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt
In his new book, Rogier Mars provides a detailed account of animal and human brain evolution. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, he starts with the sea squirt—and why it needs the brain it eats after its larval stage.
By
Rogier Mars
10 March 2026 | 6 min read