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New Project Will Examine Role of Environmental Exposures on Autism

Kelly Jordan September 29, 2025
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One in 31 children in the United States have autism. There is growing evidence linking environmental exposures to autism, in addition to known genetic contributions. A new research project, led by Douglas Walker, PhD, and Daniele Fallin, PhD, together with collaborators at Johns Hopkins University, will look for patterns in environmental factors and autism. 

The researchers will develop the largest ever exposome autism database and an Autism Exposome Atlas. Both will serve to untangle how specific exposures during early life may map to autism. 

The study will include two national studies of autism that Fallin worked on over the last two decades. Study to Explore Early Development is a national multisite study of preschool children with autism and population-based controls. Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation is a pregnancy cohort study of families with high likelihood of autism. 

Piecing Together the Autism Puzzle

Measuring the exposome is a major area of research at the Rollins School of Public Health, and looks at how external factors (like diet, behavior, and environmental exposures) can change a person’s biology and disease risk. This study will use tools pioneered at Emory University to provide the most comprehensive evaluation of how complex environmental factors may contribute to autism, 

“Environmental exposures and the life stages they occur at are increasingly recognized as a key piece of the puzzle for understanding disease risk,” says Walker. “Our study will allow us to investigate these exposures collectively rather than focusing on single chemicals at a time to address fundamental questions about the role of environmental factors in autism.” 

This project is one of 13 selected for the National Institutes of Health’s $50 million Autism Data Science Initiative. 

“We know that both genetics and the environment contribute to autism and the health experiences of people with autism,” says Fallin. “This study will provide critical individual and household exposure information that is potentially modifiable, empowering communities and families to shape policy and behaviors to best promote their health.”