Stories by Spectrum

A 1943 paper highlighted “Donald T.” as “Case 1” of 11 children with “autistic disturbances of affective contact”

The hormone is unlikely to increase sociability in most autistic children, according to a new study

Most autistic individuals want to and can make friends, though their relationships often have a distinctive quality

The brain deals with viewing two images simultaneously in a distinctive way

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

Experts caution that addressing lingering questions will require more research. 

Autism and OCD frequently accompany each other; scientists are studying both to understand how they differ

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

Lack of interest, training and pay may limit the supply

Grunya Sukhareva characterized autism nearly two decades before Austrian doctors Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger

The two conditions share many traits, but the connection has been largely overlooked until now

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

Children born to women who had diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant are at an increased risk of autism, two new studies suggest

The brains of children with autism fold differently than those of their typical peers. Whether they are unusually smooth or convoluted depends on location and age

Dennis Wall explores radical ideas, including “smart glasses” to help interpret emotions

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

Boys with autism have smaller heads, are shorter and weigh less at birth than their typical peers do—but all that changes by age 3, a new study suggests

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

The findings go against previous studies that suggest mutations are inherited from mothers

Self-report questionnaires gain popularity in Autism spectrum research and clinical practice

The two conditions often coincide, but the search for common biological roots turns up conflicting evidence

Gene expression patterns in the brains of people with these conditions, new research finds  

New data suggest the rate hovers between two and three percent