Dr. Charlotte Küpper talks to RadioEins about the connection between Autism and Tylenol. She explains how to interpret the studies on this topic and what the scientific consensus is on the causes of autism (spoiler: There is no scientific evidence for such a link between Autism and Tylenol).
Find more here: https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/die_profis/archivierte_sendungen/beitraege/wissenschaftlicher-konsens-entstehung-autismus.html
In an article from Tagesspiegel, Dr. Charlotte Küpper explains how to interpret the studies on Tylenol and Autism.
Find more here: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/trumps-neue-autismus-these-paracetamol-als-sundenbock-14367494.htmlDziobek
Neurodiversity means that people experience and interact with the world in many different ways. There is no one “right” way to think, learn and behave. The entire spectrum of human experience and behaviour includes, in addition to the neurotypical (i.e. meeting the “norm”) profile, other neurological and developmental conditions, such as autism or ADHD.
Manuel Stark, journalist and autistic, explores how people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia can enrich our society. Among others, he meets Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek and Dr. Renata Wacker, who are researching the strengths of neurodivergent people at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
The documentary is available in the ARD Mediathek. https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/auf-spurensuche-oder-ard-wissen/neurodiversitaet-wie-normal-ist-anders/br/Y3JpZDovL2JyLmRlL2Jyb2FkY2FzdC9mYzVlYmE0Zi1iOTY1LTQxMjEtYTBlZi0wM2M5OTBiYTgzMjZfb25saW5lYnJvYWRjYXN0
Our team member Silke Lipinski conducts participatory research on topics that autistic people themselves find relevant. She points out that this is unfortunately rather unusual and that research should prioritise improving the quality of life of people on the autism spectrum alongside the search for causes. The work of the Autism Research Cooperation is presented in this ZEIT online article.
https://www.zeit.de/gesundheit/2025-03/forschung-autismus-studien-psychische-gesundheit-autisten
The documentary, produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), follows Hannah, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 35. Before the diagnosis, Hannah had spent her whole life feeling somehow ‘different’ without knowing exactly why. The film provides insights into Hannah’s autistic perception and also accompanies her to the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek and Dr. Mareike Bayer present some of our scientific tests such as the Berlin Emotion Recognition Test (BERT).
The entire documentary is available (in German) on the Quarks YouTube channel:
The TV program “Terra Xplore” explores the question What is empathy and can it be learnt?. Among other protagonists, the show follows Isabel Dziobek, who shares her experience in the field of empathy research and presents some amazing work from the Lab like the Zirkus Empathico or the EVA/SCOTT training.
The documentary will be broadcast on September 03, 2023 at 18:00 on ZDF (in German) and can already be watched in the ZDF Mediathek. Link to the full size video (in German)
Smart and Well: encouraging conversations about mental health in academiaIt is no secret that universities are high-pressure environments, where students are under constant stress to achieve top grades, secure internships and keep up with coursework. This pressure is only amplified when you are looking to move into academia and pursue a career in research. The demands of academia can be immense: from stressful deadlines, the expectation to constantly achieve in order to maintain the place in the field, and the need to keep up with an ever-changing environment. With contracts often lasting only a few years and having to move around frequently to find work it can become difficult to plan for the future or maintain personal and professional relationships. With all this in mind, it is no surprise that mental health issues are on the rise. Academia can be rewarding in many ways and while the causes of mental health issues are complex and varied, for many academics, the only way to cope with the constant pressure is to sacrifice their personal well-being. The impact of mental health issues on academics should not, therefore, be underestimated. This is something that needs to be addressed more openly in universities, as it can have repercussions even on the most resilient individuals. Smart and Well is an initiative of a group of students and researchers from different institutions in Berlin aiming to increase awareness about mental health in academia. The mission of the project is set to foster well-being and prevent distress in students and early career researchers by providing information on, creating awareness for, and destigmatising the topic of mental health. The team is currently working on an interview series with experts in different mental health-related fields such as psychology, healthcare, coaching, and others. Based on surveys conducted by some of the group members, the conversations with experts will address topics that are currently prevalent among academics based in Germany. Some topics that will be covered are for instance academic-related stress management, depression and anxiety among students and early career researchers, the available support provided by healthcare institutions in Germany and many more. All this is a step further towards encouraging open conversations about mental health in academia, enforcing appropriate work/life balance, and providing adequate support for students and researchers when needed. With proper awareness, care and knowledge that help is available, academics should be able to reach their full potential without sacrificing their well-being.The Smart and Well initiative has been kindly encouraged by Scholar Minds, the Institute of Psychology of the Humboldt University and the Hochschulisches Gesundheitsmanagement of the Humboldt University. The project would not have been able to reach its extent without the great support of the funding program for digital media in research, teaching, and studies “Designing hybrid learning 2022” developed by the Media Commission of the Academic Senate of the Humboldt University. Thanks to the support of this program, it has been possible to acquire professional recording equipment and hire a student assistant to take care of the technical setup, do research, and facilitate communication with the experts.The interviews will be released later this year in a podcast format which will be available for free on many well-known streaming platforms. The podcast will be useful for but not limited to anyone studying and pursuing an academic degree in Germany. More updates about the project will be available soon.If you have in mind a specific topic that you would like to hear or maybe talk about on the podcast, you are more than welcome to get in touch by emailing the Smart and Well team at smartwell.hgm@hu-berlin.de.
“Nicht einfach nur schüchtern.” (“Not just shy.”)
Article in the “Psychologie Heute” from Angelika s. Friedl (04.11.2021). In interview with Isabel Dziobek among others.
The article deals with gender differences in individuals with Autism spectrum disorders.
Autism spectrum disorders are often associated with male gender. Diagnostic bias due to differences in male and female autistic individuals may have an impact on this.
In practice, Isabel Dziobek tells us, the gender distribution looks quite different.
In addition to the differences, general aspects and similarities of males and females in the autism spectrum are described.
You will find the original article here (link to the Website of the magazine “Psychologie Heute”, registration necessary for reading).
Interessiert? Lesen Sie mehr!In the ERIK project we are working on the development of a robotic platform to support novel interaction strategies in children with impaired socio-emotional skills. See how a session with the robot looks like! [DE]
