Spectrum: Autism Research News

For autistic people, social difficulties may contribute to troubles with daily living — from brushing teeth to taking a bus.

An experimental compound that blocks two enzymes involved in gene expression improves social behavior in young mice.

Eye tracking shows that mavoglurant, a once-abandoned experimental drug for fragile X syndrome, enters the brain and boosts social interest, says Elizabeth Berry-Kravis.

Some children who dramatically lose a range of abilities after age 2 may have a condition called childhood disintegrative disorder.

An analysis of spontaneous mutations in nearly 11,000 individuals with developmental delay or autism implicates 49 new genes.

Genetic tests for people with autism are far from routine and don’t always yield results, but the information they offer can change lives.

Three distinct categories of traits best characterize autism, according to a study of more than 6,000 children.

Children who have an older sibling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are at an increased risk of having autism. The reverse is also true.

Whole-genome scans of nearly 8,000 people link autism to spontaneous mutations in the stretches of DNA that regulate genes.

Autism may be accompanied by high levels of the hormone leptin in early childhood.