People on the spectrum often have subtle problems using language or making facial expressions. Pinpointing where those difficulties originate may help ease their social communication.

With a growing acknowledgement of self-awareness in people with autism, self-report questionnaires are gaining popularity in research and clinical practice.

After more than a decade of effort, scientists are questioning whether mouse models of autism can ever capture the social deficits seen in people with the condition.

A ‘predictive coding’ theory of autism suggests that many of the condition’s hallmark traits occur when sensory input overrides expectation in the brain.

Many girls hide their autism, sometimes evading diagnosis well into adulthood. These efforts can help women on the spectrum socially and professionally, but they can also do serious harm.

Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often coincide, but the search for common biological roots has turned up conflicting evidence.

Autism’s underlying biology, associated behaviors and treatments can all put people on the spectrum at serious risk for obesity.

After lagging behind other countries for decades, France is working on a new national plan for autism.

Many African children with autism are hidden away at home — sometimes tied up, almost always undiagnosed. Efforts to bring the condition into the open are only just beginning.

Cultural barriers lead clinicians to misdiagnose or miss children with autism in immigrant communities.