Spectrum 10K is currently paused for community consultation. Once the consultation is complete, this website will be updated.
About Spectrum 10K
Spectrum 10K aims to investigate the genetic and social factors that influence how autism affects people and increase our understanding of the factors that contribute to wellbeing in autistic individuals and their families.
Spectrum 10K is the largest study of autism in the UK and is a research study involving 10,000 autistic individuals of all ages and abilities, and their relatives living in the UK. It is led by a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge, including the Autism Research Centre (ARC), the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Click here to meet the team.
About Genetics
We know that autism is partly influenced by a person’s genes. However, autism is not entirely genetic. This means non-genetic factors play a role in autism and need to be understood too. Together, genetic an non-genetic factors contribute to differences in autism and to the wellbeing of autistic individuals. Spectrum 10K is not searching for a cure for autism and does not in any way support that approach. Instead, Spectrum 10K aims to better understand the biology of autism to improve diagnosis, support, clinical care and quality of life.
The video below explains more about genetics and autism.