The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field.

A meeting in Texas reckons with the future of treatment, following two setbacks in 2020.

Iama Therapeutics is hoping a new class of molecule will prove successful against an old target in autism.

Long cast in supporting roles in the brain, astrocytes are now emerging as primary players in certain characteristics of autism and related conditions.

Doctors can prescribe it, but evidence that ketamine eases autism traits is still preliminary.

Swiss biotech Stalicla hopes to bring precision medicine to autism. Experts praise efforts to identify autism subgroups, but evidence to support the company’s claims has yet to be seen.

Scientists initially embraced the notion that autistic people have difficulty with ‘theory of mind’ — and some went so far as to assert that it explained the condition’s core traits. Many came to view it as passé, but aspects of the original idea are enjoying a renaissance.

Explore hundreds of clinical trials with our interactive tool.

Clues that problems with mitochondria contribute to autism have been accumulating for decades. In the past five years, a mutant mouse and a flurry of findings have energized the field.

Researchers are increasingly turning to simple animals to learn about autism biology and find leads for new drugs.