The gut’s connection to autism

Autistic children are up to four times as likely as their non-autistic peers to have digestive problems, and several small studies show they may also have atypical microbial communities living in their guts.

Animation by Lottie Kingslake; script by Katie Moisse, voiceover by Chelsey Coombs

Autistic children are up to four times as likely as their non-autistic peers to have digestive problems, and several small studies show they may also have atypical microbial communities living in their guts. But whether those flora contribute to their autism traits remains unclear.