Two current studies by Blythe Corbett, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, and Kale Edmiston, Ph.D., a recent Vanderbilt Neuroscience graduate, highlight atypical physiological responses to social evaluative threat in adolescents with autism. In a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, male adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed differences in Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (a measure of the parasympathetic nervous system) indicating autonomic dysregulation. In a related study published in the journal Autism Research, adolescents with ASD did not show a typical stress response to social evaluation as measured by the stress hormone cortisol. Collectively, the findings highlight atypical physiological regulation and response in adolescents with ASD, which may contribute to social difficulties.