Unusual responses to touch emerge early in autism (often by age 3) and are key features that have been suggested to exacerbate social and communication problems. However, little is known about tactile (touch) processing in early childhood autism (under age 8 years). As a postdoctoral scholar in the Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Svenja investigates tactile perception and processing in young children aged 3-6 years with and without ASD and their relationship with behavior.

Supervisors: Ashley Harris, Signe Bray

Funding: Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform, Hotchkiss Brain Institute

Googlescholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&authuser=1&user=zWE-NlQAAAAJ

Contact: svenja.espenhahn@ucalgary.ca