If you’ve ever watched your child navigate a routine change and wondered, “What is going on inside their brain right now?” – this episode was made for you.
In this conversation, Autism Weekly host Jeff Skibitsky sat down with Dr. Lucina Uddin, a neuroscientist and director of the Brain Connectivity and Cognition Laboratory at UCLA. Her research focuses on how brain networks work together, and what happens when the brain gets stuck. Her work isn’t just academic. The practical takeaways for families raising autistic children are real, and in some cases, simpler than you might expect.
The Brain Has a “Switching System” and That Matters for Autism
Dr. Uddin describes the brain as working in different modes.
One mode is inward-facing – when you’re thinking, planning, and reflecting. Another is outward-facing – when you’re responding to the world around you and taking action. A third system, which Dr. Uddin calls the “salience network,” acts as the switch telling the brain, “this thing right now needs your attention.”
In autism, this switching system may work differently. When something sets off the alarm, the brain can get locked into one mode instead of moving smoothly between them. This helps explain why a change in routine, an unexpected event, or a moment of emotional overwhelm can feel so destabilizing.
As Dr. Uddin puts it, instead of switching flexibly between the different ways the brain works, you can get stuck in one mode of thinking or one mode of action.
If you’re autistic and reading this: that feeling of being locked in, of not being able to find the off-ramp, is not a character flaw or a lack of effort. It reflects something real and measurable in how your brain processes the world.
Cognitive Flexibility Is Hard for Everyone
Dr. Uddin was careful to point out that getting stuck isn’t unique to autism. We all experience it.
She used the example of a car that won’t start. A flexible thinker pivots quickly: “I’ll call an Uber. I’ll take the bus.” But some people, autistic or not, feel the disruption deeply and struggle to problem-solve through it.
What autism research has found is that a tendency toward routine and repetition can make this harder. A change in plans, being asked to do something a new way, or facing an unstructured moment can pull on parts of the brain that are already working hard.
This is worth sitting with, especially if you’re a parent. Your child’s reaction to disruption isn’t defiance. It’s a brain under strain.
A Finding About Language That Could Change How You Think About Your Home
One of the most surprising and empowering parts of this conversation was Dr. Uddin’s research on bilingualism and flexibility.
Her lab studied autistic children from bilingual families and found that those regularly exposed to more than one language showed stronger inhibitory skills, which is the ability to hold one thing back while focusing on another. That’s one of the core components of cognitive flexibility.
The old guidance used to say the opposite. For years, some speech-language pathologists advised families to stick to one language at home, concerned that two languages might confuse or slow down a child’s development. That guidance, Dr. Uddin says, has been debunked.
“There’s no harm in speaking more languages. If anything, there might be a boost.”
If your family speaks more than one language, or if a grandparent, aunt, or uncle speaks a different language, Dr. Uddin’s message is clear: let your child be exposed to it. You don’t have to enroll them in a formal language program. It can be through conversation at home, bilingual television, or time with family members who speak another language.
The benefit isn’t just a second language. It may be a brain that gets more practice switching, adapting, and flexibly responding to the world.
What Actually Supports a More Flexible Brain
Dr. Uddin was asked directly: What can families do right now, based on this research?
Her answer was honest and refreshingly grounded.
“A lot of the things that are just good for your health are good for your brain health,” she said. Sleep. Exercise. Reducing stress where possible.
Simple things in theory, yes. But their impact on cognitive function, emotional regulation, and flexibility is supported by a mountain of research. Before looking for complex interventions, it’s worth asking: Is my child sleeping enough? Are they moving their body regularly? Is their daily stress load manageable?
These aren’t afterthoughts. According to Dr. Uddin, they are foundational.
She also mentioned a classroom-based program called Unstuck and On Target, designed specifically to build flexibility skills in structured ways. If you’re working with a therapist or a school team, it may be worth asking about.
The Future of Understanding Autism Is Already Here
For families wondering what’s next in autism research, Dr. Uddin shared something encouraging. The field is moving away from small studies that produce averages and toward massive data sets that can make individualized predictions.
Her lab is part of a national study that has been tracking 10,000 children since ages nine and 10, now into their late teens, with brain imaging data, genetic information, health records, and more. The goal is precision: not just understanding autism broadly, but being able to say what supports this child, in this situation, at this stage of life.
Neuroimaging is also showing promise as an early marker. A colleague of Dr. Uddin’s at UCLA is scanning infants as young as six weeks old, including those with a higher likelihood of an autism diagnosis, and finding brain activity patterns that can predict later social development.
The science isn’t finished. But it’s moving fast, and families now have resources where they can learn more right at their finger tips.
Where to Learn More
Dr. Uddin recommends starting with the autism center at your nearest research university. UCLA’s Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) is one example, and their website includes resources, research participation opportunities, and connections to specialists. Similar centers exist across the country.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and have a bilingual child who is autistic, Dr. Uddin’s lab is currently conducting research in this space and welcomes participants.
A little searching with terms like “[your city or state] autism research center” can go a long way.
