Spectrum: Autism Research News

Heightened sensory perception in toddlers with autism may predict sleep problems at around age 7.

Autism may be just as common among children missing a segment of chromosome 16 as it is in those with an extra copy.

Despite the hype around a new study, it may be too soon to conclude that taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy lowers the child’s chances of autism.

A popular system used to detect speech may not identify most vocalizations produced by autistic children aged 5 and older.

An analysis of DNA from more than 20,000 people with autism identifies 12 regions in the genome that harbor inherited risk factors for the condition.

Two independent sets of mice missing a copy of SETD5, a top autism gene, link the gene to the condition’s traits.

The part of the nervous system that regulates heart rate and breathing may be involved in autism.

About one in three autistic people in the United Kingdom is prescribed drugs designed to alter brain function.

The brains of rats exposed in utero to the seizure drug valproate show a significant increase in brain size around the time of birth.

The cerebellum, a brain region primarily associated with movement, may mediate the pleasure that comes from socializing.