NEI Podcast E278 - Re-release: Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbidities with Dr. Robyn Thom
Mar 25, 2026
Dr. Robyn Thom, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard and clinician-researcher in autism care. She talks about how autism is diagnosed, core social and behavioral differences, and common co-occurring conditions like anxiety, ADHD, sleep problems, and agitation. Practical approaches for evaluating agitation, therapy and medication options, and research on syndromes like Williams are also discussed.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Swim Lessons Sparked A Career In Autism
- Robyn Thom first encountered ASD as a volunteer swim instructor teaching nonverbal communication strategies to children with autism.
- That early hands-on work showed her how differently autistic children experience the world and inspired her later clinical focus at the Lurie Center.
Autism Is Diagnosed By Behavior Not Tests
- ASD is a behaviorally defined diagnosis without a definitive lab test, relying on clinical evaluation and symptom criteria.
- Gold-standard tools like the ADOS and ADI-R exist for research but are often impractical for routine clinical practice.
Two Core Domains Define The Autism Spectrum
- Two core ASD domains are social communication differences and restricted repetitive patterns, and everyone must have both with widely varying severity.
- Presentation ranges from socially motivated but awkward children to nonverbal individuals who resist social interaction.