{"id":3386,"date":"2018-06-06T08:45:23","date_gmt":"2018-06-06T14:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/last-drum.flywheelsites.com\/?p=3386"},"modified":"2025-08-25T11:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:37:02","slug":"prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/","title":{"rendered":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:16.666666666667%;width:calc(16.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.16666666666667 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:40px;--awb-bg-size:cover;width:66.666666666667%;width:calc(66.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.66666666666667 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#jump\">Dr. Beversdorf<\/a> discusses prenatal stress and its implication in autism etiology. He provides a brief history of autism heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin. The speaker details current understandings of the association between prenatal stress and autism. Beversdorf discusses recent research on the impact of SERT, prenatal stress, and other epigenetic factors. Clinical studies are provided alongside rodent models. The speaker highlights options for future research before the Q&amp;A. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p>No continuing education credits are offered but free certificates of attendance are available upon completion of a brief knowledge quiz \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classmarker.com\/online-test\/start\/?quiz=v4h5b180403e8c36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Online Quiz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube fusion-aligncenter\" style=\"--awb-max-width:1500px;--awb-max-height:844px;--awb-width:100%;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:56.27%;\" ><iframe title=\"YouTube video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hwzaErUgJi8?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0&amp;rel=0\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\"><h2><strong>In this webinar:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>2:00 &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overview of autism and epigenetics<br \/>\n<\/span><b>4:30 &#8211; <\/b>Previous data on prenatal stress<br \/>\n<b>6:30 &#8211; <\/b>Serotonin transporter (SERT)<br \/>\n<b>8:00 &#8211; <\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study: Effect of prenatal stress and SERT on sociability<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b>10:15 &#8211; <\/b><i>Studies: Clinical support for rodent models<br \/>\n<\/i><b>13:20 &#8211; <\/b>Other contributing factors<br \/>\n<b>15:00 &#8211; <\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study: Effect of DHA diet and stress<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b>17:30 &#8211; <\/b><i>Study: DHA before gestation<br \/>\n<\/i><b>20:10 &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DHA and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative pathways<br \/>\n<\/span><b>22:10 &#8211; <\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study: Epigenetics mechanisms<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b>27:10 &#8211; <\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study: Clinical epigenetics mechanisms<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b>30:25 &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Future directions<br \/>\n<\/span><b>31:50 &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks and acknowledgments<br \/>\n<\/span><b>34:15 &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q&amp;A<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beversdorf briefly reviews hereditary and epigenetic aspects of autism etiology and lists common environmental factors associated with autism <\/span><b>(2:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Prenatal stress, he continues, could be an identifying characteristic for those at higher risk of adverse environmental factors <\/span><b>(3:54)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker outlines previous research on prenatal stress revealing that mothers of autistic children have significantly higher stress during pregnancy compared to controls. Another study found the prevalence of autistic births increased after a tropical storm or hurricane <\/span><b>(4:40)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Beversdorf outlines the serotonin transporter (SERT) and notes that increased blood serotonin and altered serotonin processing in the brain are associated with autism. He explains that variations in the serotonin transport proteins are associated with increased stress reactivity linked to depression <\/span><b>(6:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Prenatal stress and SERT<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beversdorf and his colleagues studied the impact of prenatal stress and maternal SERT variations on mouse offspring. The study used a sociability assay to test autism behavior <\/span><b>(8:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Results showed that mice with no stress or SERT genotypes preferred social interaction, as did those with only SERT or stress components. However, offspring with both SERT and maternal stress scored significantly lower on sociability <\/span><b>(9:43)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These findings were demonstrated in a clinical study where mothers with SERT had a history of prenatal stress <\/span><b>(10:15)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A converging line of clinical evidence based on a slightly larger study also assessed typical siblings of autistic kids and found no association to stress or SERT genes. These findings, Beversdorf asserts, show that these stressors (SERT and prenatal stress) are specific to autism <\/span><b>(12:02)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Diet changes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diet is also a factor in overall health and neurodevelopment. Specifically, changes in diet affect the Omega 6: Omega 3 ratio, which is essential in stress reactivity and inflammation. Contemporary North American diets generally have an O6:O3 ratio of 15:1 &#8211; 17:1 &#8211; compared to the 2:1 &#8211; 3:1 ratios of hunter-gatherers <\/span><b>(13:20)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Beversdorf outlines a study that found that diets with large O6:O3 ratios impact offspring social habits more than maternal stress <\/span><b>(15:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Researchers then combined two extensive studies on diet, SERT, and stress to see if changes in diet could mitigate some effects. They found that offspring of mothers with both SERT and a regular diet had decreased sociability and that a DHA (Omega 3) diet slightly increased sociability but not significantly <\/span><b>(16:20)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker details a rodent study that implemented a DHA diet before gestation to the end of pregnancy, and then to the offspring <\/span><b>(17:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They found that offspring of mothers who experienced stress and were on the DHA diet were more social than those who experienced stress but had no diet <\/span><b>(19:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Beversdorf asserts that although this is only a mouse model, it provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness of simple diet changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Epigenetic mechanisms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The speaker details methods for a rodent model study on how epigenetic mechanisms affect gene expression. The study assessed DNA methylation, gene transcription, and microRNA expression <\/span><b>(22:10)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Researchers found significantly more methylated areas in mice with SERT and stress factors. They also revealed an overlap in genes where transcription was affected by stress or SERT <\/span><b>(24:10). <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MicroRNA had the same pattern, and the presence of maternal SERT diminished gene expression in response to stress exposure. Beversdorf posits that these responses are adapted to help offset the effects of stress but that this cannot be accomplished with SERT <\/span><b>(26:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clinical investigation of these findings showed distinct blood patterns between stress versus no stress groups. The presenter discusses the overlap of what\u2019s happening in the blood of mothers of autistic children and what was found in rodent models. He concludes that genes are significantly affected by both stress and maternal genotype and wonders at how they are involved in both pathways <\/span><b>(27:10)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Beversdorf highlights that microRNA are heavily regulated by dopamine, which should be a focus of future research <\/span><b>(29:29)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Future directions for research should also include maternal antibodies and the intersection of stress and immunity. The presenter gives thanks and acknowledgments before the Q&amp;A <\/span><b>(34:15)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:16.666666666667%;width:calc(16.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.16666666666667 ) );\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"jump\" class=\"fusion-container-anchor\"><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\"><p><strong>Published: 06\/06\/2018<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>About the speaker:<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div class=\"z-form-row\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignleft size-full wp-image-3387\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%2799%27%20height%3D%2799%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%2099%2099%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%2799%27%20height%3D%2799%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/David-Beversdorf-MD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"99\" height=\"99\" \/>Dr. Beversdorf graduated from Indiana University and completed Neurology residency at Dartmouth. After his fellowship in Behavioral Neurology at University of Florida, he joined the Ohio State University faculty. He has published on memory disorders, autism, cognitive neuroscience, fMRI, neurpsychopharmacology and drug addiction. He joined the University of Missouri (Radiology, Neurology, Psychology and the Thompson Center) to focus on autism, with particular interest in pharmacofMRI as a potential treatment marker, and gene\/stress interactions in autism.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-background-color:#31478e;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1315.6px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-4 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-social-links fusion-social-links-1\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-right:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-left:0px;--awb-alignment:center;--awb-box-border-top:0px;--awb-box-border-right:0px;--awb-box-border-bottom:0px;--awb-box-border-left:0px;--awb-icon-colors-hover:rgba(255,137,0,0.8);--awb-box-colors-hover:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-box-border-color:var(--awb-color1);--awb-box-border-color-hover:var(--awb-color4);\"><div class=\"fusion-social-networks color-type-custom\"><div class=\"fusion-social-networks-wrapper\"><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-facebook awb-icon-facebook\" style=\"color:var(--awb-color1);font-size:36px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"Facebook\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"Facebook\" aria-label=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-twitter awb-icon-twitter\" style=\"color:var(--awb-color1);font-size:36px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"X\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"X\" aria-label=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ariConference\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-instagram awb-icon-instagram\" style=\"color:var(--awb-color1);font-size:36px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"Instagram\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"Instagram\" aria-label=\"instagram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-linkedin awb-icon-linkedin\" style=\"color:var(--awb-color1);font-size:36px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"LinkedIn\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/autism-research-institute\/\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-4 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-5 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-recent-posts fusion-recent-posts-1 avada-container layout-default layout-columns-3\"><section class=\"fusion-columns columns fusion-columns-3 columns-3\"><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/emerging-research-on-autism-rates-and-covid\/\" aria-label=\"Emerging Research on Autism Rates and Covid\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_416761381-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Doctor is doing ultrasound screening for a pregnant woman\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271350%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201350%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271350%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_416761381-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_416761381-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_416761381-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-25T15:01:19-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/emerging-research-on-autism-rates-and-covid\/\">Emerging Research on Autism Rates and Covid<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-25T15:01:19-05:00<\/span><span>April 22nd, 2026<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/covid-19\/\" rel=\"category tag\">COVID-19<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/immune-issues\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Immune Issues<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/neurological\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Neurological<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/parenting\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/prenatal-health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Pregnancy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>  Free webinar at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (US), April 22, 2026 Tune in to hear about the Columbia University COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes Initiative (COMBO), which resulted in the first report demonstrating that<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/compass-webinar\/\" aria-label=\"COMPASS: A Caregiver\u2013Teacher Partnership Model for Improving Outcomes in Autistic Children and Youth\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/early-intervention-2-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Close up of young female teacher sitting at desk with a Down syndrome schoolboy. Color painting on the paper for disabled kids, autism childs who are down syndrome and student teacher.\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201707%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/early-intervention-2-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/early-intervention-2-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/early-intervention-2-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2026-03-25T17:39:26-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/compass-webinar\/\">COMPASS: A Caregiver\u2013Teacher Partnership Model for Improving Outcomes in Autistic Children and Youth<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2026-03-25T17:39:26-05:00<\/span><span>March 24th, 2026<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/back-to-school\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Back to School<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/early-intervention\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Early Intervention<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/educational-therapies\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Educational Therapies<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/neurological\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Neurological<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/parenting\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/parenting-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/school-issues\/\" rel=\"category tag\">School Issues<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>      The Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS) is an evidence-based consultation framework designed to enhance outcomes for autistic children and youth by strengthening caregiver\u2013teacher partnerships. Developed by<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/sleep-and-behavior-nair-2025\/\" aria-label=\"Sleep Disturbances and their Behavioral Correlates in Autistic Youth and Youth with Co-Occurring ADHD\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Untitled-design-3-700x441.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Young kid having a peaceful nap in bed\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201707%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Untitled-design-3-700x441.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Untitled-design-3-320x202.jpg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Untitled-design-3-700x441.jpg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-12T16:17:54-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/sleep-and-behavior-nair-2025\/\">Sleep Disturbances and their Behavioral Correlates in Autistic Youth and Youth with Co-Occurring ADHD<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-12T16:17:54-05:00<\/span><span>November 11th, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/neurological\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Neurological<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/sensory\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sensory<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>    Take the knowledge quiz HERE Handouts are available HERE    Learn about how sleep disturbances correlate with behavior in autistic youth, including those with co-occurring ADHD.   Originally<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/applying-neuroscience\/\" aria-label=\"Improving Clinical Understanding of Autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Untitled-design-28-700x441.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Doctor analyzing brain scans on a monitor\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271280%27%20height%3D%27720%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201280%20720%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271280%27%20height%3D%27720%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Untitled-design-28-700x441.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Untitled-design-28-320x202.jpg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Untitled-design-28-700x441.jpg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:50:54-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/applying-neuroscience\/\">Improving Clinical Understanding of Autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:50:54-05:00<\/span><span>July 25th, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/biomarkers\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Biomarkers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/early-intervention\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Early Intervention<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/neurological\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Neurological<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   James McPartland, Ph.D., discusses current limitations in autism diagnosis and treatment, noting their reliance on behavioral observations despite the condition's genetic and neurological underpinnings. He advocates integrating biomarkers as objective, measurable biological<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/editorial-autism-and-the-brain-the-vital-contribution-of-postmortem-research\/\" aria-label=\"Editorial- Autism and the brain: the vital contribution of postmortem research\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brain-research-2-1200x787-1-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Close-up view of a brain scan showing detailed brain structure\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271200%27%20height%3D%27787%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201200%20787%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271200%27%20height%3D%27787%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brain-research-2-1200x787-1-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brain-research-2-1200x787-1-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brain-research-2-1200x787-1-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-12-20T17:40:49-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/editorial-autism-and-the-brain-the-vital-contribution-of-postmortem-research\/\">Editorial- Autism and the brain: the vital contribution of postmortem research<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-12-20T17:40:49-05:00<\/span><span>December 20th, 2024<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>     Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects approximately 1% of the global population. It presents in diverse ways, but the core features typically include challenges with social<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/white-matter\/\" aria-label=\"White Matter Development and Language in Autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AdobeStock_630304837-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Gray matter, white matter, and ventricles in the human brain\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271792%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201792%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271792%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AdobeStock_630304837-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AdobeStock_630304837-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AdobeStock_630304837-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-05-20T16:22:30-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/white-matter\/\">White Matter Development and Language in Autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-05-20T16:22:30-05:00<\/span><span>April 23rd, 2024<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/biomarkers\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Biomarkers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/early-intervention\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Early Intervention<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/neurological\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Neurological<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>    Tyler McFayden, Ph.D., considers the intersection of white matter development and language in autism. She discusses language modality and considers how white matter may help predict autism diagnosis and inform interventions.<\/p><\/div><\/article><\/section><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-5 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1315.6px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-6 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,33,24],"tags":[4693,58,4739,4215,3525,4738,5611,72],"class_list":["post-3386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immune-issues","category-prenatal-health","category-webinar","tag-ari-webinar","tag-autism","tag-neurodevelopment","tag-neurological-issues","tag-pregnancy","tag-prenatal-stress","tag-prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment-beversdorf","tag-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment - Autism Research Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Autism Research Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1708\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"firespringInt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ariConference\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ariConference\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"firespringInt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"firespringInt\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/95f99ca64bc53e7e0cb6d3e634f4b1eb\"},\"headline\":\"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\"},\"wordCount\":3126,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"ARI webinar\",\"autism\",\"neurodevelopment\",\"neurological issues\",\"pregnancy\",\"prenatal stress\",\"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment beversdorf\",\"research\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Immune Issues\",\"Pregnancy\",\"Webinar\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\",\"name\":\"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment - Autism Research Institute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1708,\"caption\":\"Pregnant woman is sitting on the white bed\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/\",\"name\":\"Autism Research Institute\",\"description\":\"Advancing Autism Research and Education\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Autism Research Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ARI_Final_CMYK_CROP.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ARI_Final_CMYK_CROP.jpg\",\"width\":1516,\"height\":737,\"caption\":\"Autism Research Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ariConference\",\"https:\/\/autismresearchinstitute\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/autism-research-institute\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/melfromari\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/arifulton\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/95f99ca64bc53e7e0cb6d3e634f4b1eb\",\"name\":\"firespringInt\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08e6acda4ecfb1cbc09c85d8d957c181165db0df8c6aa87ed38169cbaeb5a38b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08e6acda4ecfb1cbc09c85d8d957c181165db0df8c6aa87ed38169cbaeb5a38b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"firespringInt\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/firespringint\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment - Autism Research Institute","description":"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment","og_description":"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.","og_url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/","og_site_name":"Autism Research Institute","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/","article_published_time":"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1708,"url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"firespringInt","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ariConference","twitter_site":"@ariConference","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"firespringInt","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/"},"author":{"name":"firespringInt","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/95f99ca64bc53e7e0cb6d3e634f4b1eb"},"headline":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment","datePublished":"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/"},"wordCount":3126,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg","keywords":["ARI webinar","autism","neurodevelopment","neurological issues","pregnancy","prenatal stress","Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment beversdorf","research"],"articleSection":["Immune Issues","Pregnancy","Webinar"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/","url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/","name":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment - Autism Research Institute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg","datePublished":"2018-06-06T14:45:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-25T16:37:02+00:00","description":"Dr. Beversdorf discusses prenatal stress and its implications in autism etiology, including heredity, epigenetics, and the role of serotonin.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pregnancy-2-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1708,"caption":"Pregnant woman is sitting on the white bed"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/prenatal-stress-and-neurodevelopment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/autism.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/","name":"Autism Research Institute","description":"Advancing Autism Research and Education","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/autism.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#organization","name":"Autism Research Institute","url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ARI_Final_CMYK_CROP.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ARI_Final_CMYK_CROP.jpg","width":1516,"height":737,"caption":"Autism Research Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ariConference","https:\/\/autismresearchinstitute","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/autism-research-institute","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/melfromari\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/arifulton"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/95f99ca64bc53e7e0cb6d3e634f4b1eb","name":"firespringInt","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08e6acda4ecfb1cbc09c85d8d957c181165db0df8c6aa87ed38169cbaeb5a38b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08e6acda4ecfb1cbc09c85d8d957c181165db0df8c6aa87ed38169cbaeb5a38b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"firespringInt"},"url":"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/firespringint\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3386"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18610,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386\/revisions\/18610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}