04/04/2026
Autism awareness should include awareness of conditions that can mimic or overlap with autism. PANDAS is one example. It can present with anxiety, OCD-like behaviors, regression, and emotional dysregulation—symptoms that can look very similar on the surface. The difference is often in the timeline: PANDAS typically has a rapid, sudden onset, often after infection, while autism is present early and develops over time. Understanding matters, because the supports—and sometimes medical treatments—can look very different.
Knowledge is power. Understanding the “why” changes the “what next.”
Neuroimmune Foundation executive director and founder, Anna Conkey, had the honor and privilege of interviewing Dr. Susan Swedo, Chief Pediatrics & Developmental Neuroscience Branch at the NIMH in March 2018.