Half of children who have autism have trouble falling or staying asleep, which may make their symptoms worse. Scientists are just beginning to explore what goes wrong in the midnight hour.

There are hints that transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses electricity to change how brain cells function, might improve the symptoms of autism. But hopes are running way ahead of the facts.

Some children shed the symptoms of autism and eventually lose their diagnosis. What sets them apart?

Some people with autism can tolerate extreme heat, cold or pressure and seem relatively insensitive to pain. Paradoxically, they may experience intense pain from idiosyncratic sources but struggle to communicate it.

A new study is the first rigorous test of a controversial idea: that the everyday interactions between caregiver and child can shape the course of autism.

Each child with autism is different from the next. One approach rapidly gaining momentum makes sense of this diversity by grouping children together based on their genetics, then looking for patterns in their symptoms. The long-term aim: personalized treatments for each subtype of autism.

The idea that people with autism don’t feel strong emotions is a myth: Many of them are vulnerable to depression, despair and even suicide. New research documents alarmingly high rates of suicidal thoughts and actions in this group — and suggests that their distress takes unique forms.