Spectrum: Autism Research News

This year’s list of top papers highlights new dimensions in our understanding of autism genetics and hints at novel treatments.

View an interactive map of studies on autism prevalence around the world. The map highlights places where information is available — and places where information is missing.

How is autism diagnosed? What explains the rise in autism’s prevalence? How much do genes contribute to the condition? What about the environment? This section provides answers to these and other questions.

There’s been an increasing awareness in American culture of autism and what it’s like to be a person on the spectrum. Yet most of that discussion focuses on the experience of men, leaving unheard the voices of women. Join Caveat and Spectrum for three talks on dating, employment and race, by women on the spectrum.

It’s been five years since the autism community agonized over the debut of a new iteration of a diagnostic manual that set out to rewrite the definition of autism.

Problems with verbal and nonverbal communication — such as prosody, grammar, facial expressions and eye contact — contribute to the social difficulties individuals on the spectrum experience.

Mice of myriad strains and designs have helped scientists understand autism, but they have limitations as autism models. This report describes what scientists can hope to learn from old and new mouse models of autism.

Our autism anchors, Raphael Bernier and James Mancini, explain how mouse models can help scientists understand the causes of autism and evaluate potential treatments for the condition.

Raphael Bernier and James Mancini describe the similarities and differences between autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often co-occur. Researchers are examining when and why these conditions may overlap.