Stories by Jessica Wright

A new study used machine learning to show how “all mutations are not created equal”

New study suggests that early screening may benefit some children

The assays don't always yield results, but the information they offer can, at times, alter the course of treatment or prevention

Speeding up the chemical messenger’s action makes autism-modeling mice more social

Young people with autism have more psychiatric and medical conditions than do their typical peers or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Rising awareness of the condition’s characteristics may contribute to an increase in reporting 

New data suggest the rate hovers between two and three percent

Anxiety can assume unusual forms—turning uncertainty, or even a striped couch, into a constant worry

Study suggests a biomarker for treatment with the “love hormone”

A hard look at whether the rise comes from more awareness, better diagnosis—or something else 

Rodents learn to put their heads under a microscope as a daily routine, letting researchers peer into their brains while the animals are relaxed and happy

New study finds mice may need infection-fighting molecules to socialize

Common gene variants that have minor effects may contribute about half the risk of developing autism

CHD8, a gene that regulates the structure of DNA, is the closest thing so far to an “autism gene”

Effective treatment of cancer requires getting the drugs precisely to the target. Enter the nanoparticle

It takes more mutations to trigger autism in women than in men, which may explain why men are four times more likely to have the disorder

With the right incentive, such as winning a prize, children with autism do fairly well at inferring the thoughts and beliefs of others, according to a new study