Dr. Stephen Sheinkopf joined the Thompson Center as Executive Director and Thompson Endowed Chair in Child Health in September 2021.
What brought you to the Thompson Center?
I came to the Thompson Center last September for the opportunity to lead an integrated team focused on the population that I have spent by career caring for and about.
What are your research interests?
My research is focused on autism as well as neurodevelopment more broadly. A lot of my work has been about studying the differences in development and outcomes amongst children with autism and those without autism. Currently I lead the Early Years Study here at Mizzou that is testing ways to identify likelihood for autism beginning in infancy. But I am also interested in the experiences of people with autism across development. We have additional research that is following adolescents into early adulthood.
What is something you hope to better understand by the end of your career?
There are two major things I want to explore. First, I want to understand how we can predict autism from the earliest stages of development so we can provide supports as early as possible. Intellectually, I am fascinated by the way autism presents differently as children age. I want to know more about why signs of autism are often so subtle in infants but grow to be more pronounced in toddlerhood and beyond.
What’s the best thing about working in this field?
The type of relationships I get to develop with my patients and their families is unique in this population. With the nature of my research and clinical practice, I often work with the same patients for many years through the course of their development. It is truly gratifying to create these ongoing connections.
What study have you been most excited about?
I love infancy. The Early Years study allows me to bring together my two passions of studying infants and studying autism.
Now that you have been with the Thompson Center for a year, what is your vision for moving forward?
After immersing myself in the Thompson Center’s work firsthand, I have an even deeper commitment to making our center a model for team-based care that brings together research, training, and clinical service to have the greatest impact for our patients and their families.