This webinar aired on November 13th, 2025 and is now available On-Demand. Register to watch now and to access the resources.
In a world filled with headlines, hashtags, and conflicting messages about autism, it’s never been more important for parents to know how to identify misinformation.
This Autism Ontario Signature Series interview with leading Canadian autism researchers Dr. Stephen Scherer, Chief of Research at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Vice President of Research and Director of Holland Bloorview Research Institute, is a reflective and insightful conversation on what the science tells us, and how families can confidently navigate new information as it emerges.
Together, they’ll explore how autism research is conducted, what science tells us today, and how parents can evaluate the information they see online. The discussion will also tackle common myths and misinformation from outdated theories to the latest viral claims, all while helping families understand what makes an intervention truly evidence-based.
Through an open and accessible conversation, this Signature Series episode will:
- Explore what is currently known about autism, including genetics, environmental factors, and the diversity of autism.
- Learn strategies to evaluate information and recognize misinformation, including key considerations when assessing what is best for your family.
- Discuss how evidence-based interventions are validated and translated into meaningful support for autistic individuals and their families.
The audience had a chance to submit questions to both experts, making this an interactive opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou and Dr. Stephen Scherer, two of Canada’s most respected voices in autism research.
Register now for this exclusive Autism Ontario event, available on-demand.
Autism Science Explained with Canada’s Leading Autism Researchers (Click to register)
Ready to dive deeper? Join us for In Focus: The After Show, where we ask deeper questions that didn’t fit into the main interview. This episode goes deeper into the science behind autism, including genetics, environment, and the diversity within the autistic community.
In Focus: The After Show | Autism Science Explained (Click to register)
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear a live conversation that cuts through the noise and brings clarity to what’s real, what’s changing, and where to place your trust.
See below for a sneak peek of this event or click here to view the autism science explained playlist on youtube.
Meet our Speakers:
Dr. Stephen Scherer, PhD DSc FRSC, Chief of Research, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Director, McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto.
Dr. Stephen Scherer, PhD DSc FRSC is Chief of Research and holds the Northbridge Chair in Paediatric Research at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and University of Toronto (UofT) and he is Director of the UofT McLaughlin Centre, as well as The Centre for Applied Genomics at SickKids. His team contributed to the landmark discovery of global gene copy number variation (CNV) as a common form of genetic variation in human DNA. As part of this discovery, he founded the Database of Genomic Variants, which now catalogues >2 million CNVs, and is used to facilitate hundreds of thousands of clinical diagnoses worldwide each year. His team also identified CNV of specific genes involved in brain development to contribute to Autism Spectrum Disorder, demonstrating this complex human behavioural condition can have a biological basis. His research is documented in over 750 scholarly publications and patents. Dr. Scherer has won numerous honors, such as the Steacie Prize, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholarship, the Premier’s Summit Award for Medical Research, the Killam Prize, the Debrecen Award for Molecular Medicine, and multiple Honorary degrees. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Canada. In 2014, he was selected as an esteemed Thomson Reuters (now Clarivate) Citation Laureate in Physiology and Medicine for “the discovery of large-scale copy number variation and its association with specific diseases”.
Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, MD, FRCPC, Child Neurologist, Vice President of Research and Director of the Bloorview Research Institute and Canada Research Chair in Translational Therapeutics in Autism (Tier II); Dr. Stuart D. Sims Chair in Autism
Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou is a Child Neurologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto, as well as Vice President of Research at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Director of the Bloorview Research Institute. As a Senior Clinician Scientist, she co-leads the Autism Research Centre (ARC) at Holland Bloorview and the University of Toronto. She has held the Canada Research Chair in Translational Therapeutics in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Currently, she holds the Dr. Stuart D. Sims Chair in Autism at Holland Bloorview and the University of Toronto. She is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Dr. Anagnostou has received extensive international funding to understand the underlying biological differences associated with ASD and other neurodevelopmental differences and translate such understandings into potential novel interventions. She also has funding in health system innovation, partner engagement, and in understanding the meaning and impact of neurodevelopmental conditions in marginalized populations. She has served on multiple government committees on improving diagnostic and intervention pathways, and several editorial boards and grant review panels. She has also been recognized for her contributions to training young clinicians and scientists and for her commitment to women in STEM. She currently represents the region of America-North on the International Society for Autism Research Global Senior Leaders committee.
Disclaimer: Opinions reflected in this webinar are those of the speaker(s) and presenter(s), and do not necessarily reflect Autism Ontario’s views. Please note that Autism Ontario does not endorse any specific therapy, product, treatment, strategy, opinions, service, or individual. We do, however, endorse your right to information. Autism Ontario strongly believes that it is important to do your own research and make your own informed decisions.