2017 was the year we at Spectrum committed to being open — to new ideas, new types of stories, new ways of telling them and new ways to reach you, our audience.

This year’s list of top papers highlights nuances in the genetics of autism and new leads on early treatment.

We waded through the sea of autism studies published in 2017 and spotted several themes.

A growing number of researchers work with people on the spectrum when designing their studies — sometimes with help from programs intended to boost such partnerships.

People with autism teach researchers about compassion, honesty, love — and the joys of the holidays.

We asked three distinguished autism researchers to reflect on their first studies in the field.

We asked autism researchers to enter the Spectrum science image contest. Here are the top pics.

In 2017, autism scientists took to Twitter to express their thoughts on immigration, healthcare policy, education leadership, proposed funding cuts and Brexit.

In a New York City after-school program, children with autism build social skills through a shared interest in trains.

Our autism anchors, Raphael Bernier and James Mancini, nominate candidates for the hottest topic in autism research in 2017.

Our favorite quotes from articles we published this year cover James Bond, mean girls and scientific breakthroughs.