Gaps in Current Autism Research: The Thoughts of the <i>Autism Research</i> Editorial Board and Associate Editors

Abstract

In advance of the 2019 INSAR Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, I asked the members of the Autism Research Editorial Board and the Associate Editors to write short (approximately 300 word) mini-commentaries on what they considered to be the current gaps in research on autism spectrum disorder.The responses and styles were diverse and reflect research gaps ranging from basic biology to treatment trials to services for transition to adulthood.They reflect thoughts from countries around the world.While each of the contributions was done entirely independently, it is interesting how the theme of heterogeneity is found in many of them.There is also increasing concern over the lack of research on socioeconomic and cultural factors related to the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder.We hope that these comments will provide food for thought.I would like to thank the staff at Wiley, Ms. Christine (Chrissy) Murray and Victoria Scheibe for valuable help in producing this Commentary.