What's actually happening in the brain when an autistic individual struggles to shift gears, adapt to change, or break out of a repetitive thought pattern? This week, host Jeffrey Skibitsky sits down with Dr. Lucina Uddin, neuroscientist and director of the Brain Connectivity and Cognition Laboratory at UCLA, to explore one of the most important and least-discussed topics in autism research: cognitive flexibility.
Dr. Uddin breaks down how brain networks switch between internal thinking and external awareness, what happens when that switching system gets overloaded, and why some autistic individuals get stuck in a loop even when they have every skill needed to problem-solve in calmer moments.
She also shares a surprising research finding: bilingual children with autism showed stronger inhibitory skills than their monolingual peers, suggesting that natural language exposure at home may support cognitive flexibility in ways families can start building today.
Resources:
Lucina Q. Uddin, Ph.D. (she/her)
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Brain Connectivity and Cognition Laboratory
Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Analysis Core
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
University of California Los Angeles
Dr. Uddin's lab at UCLA is currently recruiting children ages 8 to 12 with an autism diagnosis for a paid brain study on bilingualism and cognitive flexibility. Families can earn up to $300 for participating. To learn more or sign up, contact
[email protected] or call 323-609-5866.
In this episode:
What cognitive flexibility is and why it matters for autistic individuals and their families
The brain networks behind flexible thinking: default mode, salience, and executive systems
Why anxiety and stress can shut down problem-solving even in high-ability individuals
What neuroimaging reveals about brain differences in autism and where the science is headed
The bilingual advantage: what Dr. Uddin's lab discovered and what it means for parents
How early brain markers visible at six weeks old can predict later social development
The shift toward precision psychiatry and individualized treatment
Whether you're a parent, clinician, or educator, this episode gives you a new lens for understanding why flexibility can be hard and concrete reasons for hope.
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