Thompson Center expands autism research with new building

On Friday, the Thompson Center Research and Training building had a ribbon-cutting to celebrate its opening.

It’s a new facility that is a part of the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders on Keene Street. The Research and Training building will provide more space for experts to research and teach others how to interact with people who have autism.

“We’ve learned a lot more about how to diagnose it accurately in the last 10 years,” executive director Stephen Kanne, with the Thompson Center, said. “We’ve learned about the genetics of autism. We’re only in the infancy of how to figure out what’s causing the disorder and how to help kids who have it.”

The building features virtual reality rooms and one-way mirrors for training.

“Faculty and staff are incredibly excited about this new building because it allows us to do more, and to work in this field you have to have compassion, to want to help the kids and their families, and this facility really helps support us doing that,” said Kanne.