Sam, all of 12 years old, is climbing into a large magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The fluorescent white scanner, a cross between an alien spacecraft and a coffin, no doubt sends chills down the spines of most of those who are rolled, flat on their backs, into it.Not Sam. He doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the whirrs and clicks, the earplugs, helmet or any other aspect of the confined space. That's remarkable enough because, like most children his age, Sam is loud and rambunctious. But he also has autism.Children with autism often react poorly to loud sounds, bright lights or touch — major obstacles for researchers who want to scan their brains. But engaging these kids is the specialty of Kevin Pelphrey, the scientist who is studying children like Sam.Read more at...SFARI, August 2010.