Viewpoint

The strict definition of autism in the latest version of the diagnostic manual is antithetical to the idea that autism comes in a wide variety of forms.

Since the DSM-5’s debut, schoolchildren have gained stronger legal rights and better opportunities for accessing services; for adults, it’s a different story.

The move to replace ‘mental retardation’ with ‘intellectual disability’ is widely accepted, but little data exist on the impact of this change.

Our concept of autism has evolved over the past 20 years, rendering redundant the diagnostic labels of Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified.

A new law’s increased protections on privacy are likely to make research projects involving big data less efficient, more complex and more difficult to reproduce.

The annual meeting of International Society for Autism Research has aligned its offerings with the priorities of people with autism and their families.

A diagnosis of social communication disorder only keeps people from a community and resources they desperately want and need.

We must diversify databases of reference DNA to improve our ability to interpret the consequences of genetic variation.

A large dataset that catalogs the features of many brain conditions could transform the quest for biomarkers of autism.

Some individuals who have autism mutations show no signs of the condition; understanding why may lead to treatments.