Like other teenagers, teens on the autism 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, Ph.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences 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, published 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 neurotypical teenagers, the reward centers in autistic teens’ brains don’t become increasingly responsive to strangers’ voices as they mature, the research found.