Genau wie andere Teenager hoffen viele Teenager im Autismus-Spektrum auf neue Freunde, vielleicht sogar auf eine romantische Beziehung. Aber das kann für sie eine Herausforderung sein. Im Gegensatz zu neurotypischen Teenagern reagieren die Belohnungszentren im Gehirn autistischer Teenager mit zunehmender Reife nicht zunehmend auf die Stimmen von Fremden.

Just like other teenagers, many teens on the [autism](https://med.stanford.edu/news/topics/psychiatry-mental-health/autism.html) spectrum are itching to exercise their social muscles. They hope for new friends, fun with people who share their interests, maybe even a romantic relationship. 

“Adolescence is a moment of opportunity for these kids,” said [Daniel Abrams](https://profiles.stanford.edu/daniel-abrams), PhD, clinical associate professor of [psychiatry and behavioral sciences](https://med.stanford.edu/news/topics/psychiatry-mental-health.html) at Stanford Medicine. “They want to build friendships.”

But spreading their social wings is challenging for teens with autism. A new Stanford Medicine-led [study](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2601227123), published July 13 in *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*, sheds light on a key factor: how the brains of teenagers with autism handle the sounds of unfamiliar voices. Unlike in neurotypical teenagers, the reward centers in autistic teens’ brains don’t become increasingly responsive to strangers’ voices as they mature, the research found.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2601227123

So does this mean for an NT they get a reward system response when hearing non-familial voices once they reach adolescence? Hence why they might seek out socialising with those they don’t know?

But autistic people have a reduced response.

Surely that’s not the only driver of desire for social engagement though. Or is it saying that the brain is not responding appropriately in its understanding of other voices?