Autism Child and Family Lab

We are incredibly proud of PhD student Mohamed Tarabeih, who was awarded the prestigious Presidential Fellowship!

Mhemad's doctoral research focuses on child, parent, and systemic variables that contribute to increased adaptive functioning for autistic children as they transition to first grade.

Way to go, Mhemad! Onward and upward!

We were thrilled to celebrate the graduation of two of our wonderful alums last night! Shahar Govrin (magna cm laude 🎊) and Nur Mannaa (summa cm laude 🥳) both graduated with honors from the graduate program in School and Clinical Child Psychology at the Seymour Fox School of Education - בית הספר לחינוך ע"ש שלמה פוקס.

We couldn't be prouder of Nur and Shahar and have no doubt they will go on to make the world a better place!

In case you weren’t able to join us at the Israeli Meeting for Autism Research hosted by the המרכז הלאומי ע"ש עזריאלי לחקר אוטיזם ונוירו-התפתחות Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research earlier this year, the full recording of Judah Koller’s talk is now available online.

The talk presents a framework for understanding and supporting autistic children, broadening the lens beyond the child themselves to consider relationships, environments, and context across development.

Watch here:

Judah Koller Beyond the Child: Contextual Mechanisms in theDevelopment of Autistic Children

We were thrilled to attend the ICAMH Huji Annual Fellows Recognition and Research Conference this afternoon, where Shir Rozenblat presented a poster and was officially announced as an ICAMH fellow.

We’re not sure who’s prouder, us or her family, who were there to celebrate 🎉

Huge congratulations, Shir - Onward and upward!

INSAR 2026, that's a wrap! 🎉

We're so proud of Tamar Matz Vaisman, Shir Rozenblat, Tal Mentch Lifsh*ts, Mohamed Tarabeih, מיכל אילן, Adi Dolev, and Rotem Lapidot for repping our lab. They're now on their way home after an amazing weekend in Prague, presenting posters, attending sessions, and engaging with the international autism research community.

Onward and upward!

We're heading to Prague for International Society for Autism Research, INSAR 2026!

Members of our lab will be sharing work on family accommodation and RRBs, emotion regulation, adaptive functioning trajectories, parental traits and cognitive control, autism diagnostic practices, parent-child coordination, and more.

Whether you're curious about our research, want to connect, or just want to say hi, we'd love to see you!

Come find us, ask questions, and let's talk science. 🙌

📅 Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 23–25

📍 Prague, Czech Republic

Whether you're curious about our research or just want to connect, we'd love to see you at our posters!

Thank you to mako for covering our new study, now available as a preprint (an early scientific manuscript that has not yet undergone peer review).

The study followed Israeli families of autistic and non-autistic children during the first year after October 7. Findings suggest high early distress, followed by relative stabilization over time, alongside an ongoing emotional burden.

The key takeaway: Many families showed incredible resilience and adaptation, but continued support remains essential.

We are deeply grateful to all the participating families and our collaborators from the Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment, ALUT, Bar-Ilan University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We hope for simpler, quieter times ahead.

Link in the first comment below.

מעריכים את הסיקור של המחקר החדש שלנו, הזמין כעת כפריפרינט (גרסה מוקדמת של מאמר מדעי שטרם עברה ביקורת עמיתים).

המחקר עקב אחר משפחות בישראל עם ילדים אוטיסטים וילדים לא אוטיסטים במהלך השנה הראשונה שלאחר ה-7 באוקטובר. הממצאים מצביעים על מצוקה גבוהה בתחילת התקופה, ולאחריה התייצבות יחסית לאורך הזמן, לצד עומס רגשי מתמשך.

המסר המרכזי: משפחות רבות גילו חוסן והסתגלות יוצאי דופן, אך עדיין קיים צורך משמעותי בתמיכה מתמשכת מותאמת.

אנו מודים מקרב לב למשפחות המשתתפות ולשותפינו למחקר מהמרכז הלאומי ע"ש עזריאלי לאוטיזם ונוירו-התפתחות, אלו"ט, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן והאוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים. מייחלים ומקווים לימים פשוטים ושקטים יותר.

לינק למטה

המרכז הלאומי ע"ש עזריאלי לחקר אוטיזם ונוירו-התפתחות אלו"ט Seymour Fox School of Education - בית הספר לחינוך ע"ש שלמה פוקס The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

New publication! 🌟

A new study led by wonderful lab alum Shahar Govrin Aviran, together with several lab members and in close collaboration with Dr. Yonat Rum, PI of the MixSi lab, under the supervision of Dr. Judah Koller, is out now!

This mixed-methods study sheds light on the experiences of autistic families during wartime.

What we learned:
🔹 Higher Impact: Autistic children and their parents showed significantly higher post-traumatic stress and anxiety than non-autistic children and their parents.
🔹 Routine Matters: Restoring therapeutic and educational routines was a major factor in family well-being.
🔹 Family First: Supporting a parent’s mental health may be one of the best ways to help the child cope.

These findings highlight the urgent need for trauma-informed care that recognizes the specific needs of autistic households. 💙

Read more at the link in the first comment below.

To mark Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, lab PI Judah Koller wrote a piece for The Times of Israel trying to do something simple: say what autism is and what it isn't. This includes explaining why autism is not intellectual disability or a language impairment, and is likely not even a single condition.

Link in the first comment below.

The Blogs: Autism May Not Be What You Think It Is From the blog of Judah Koller at The Times of Israel

We're excited to share a new resource on the Autism Child & Family Lab website: a video series introducing the foundations of autism, covering its history, the diagnostic process, and contemporary approaches to support.

Accessible to students, clinicians, families, and autistic individuals alike.

👉🏽 https://www.autismchildfamily.com/autism101

international