Although thousands of candidate genes are linked to autism, many function together in just a few common pathways, according to a network analysis published in the June issue of PLoS Genetics. 

A new study looking at an auditory reflex raises important questions about whether autism is fundamentally a problem of high-level processing or something that arises from early disruptions in perceptual processing.
 

A new database pools health registry data from seven countries, dramatically boosting sample sizes for epidemiological studies of autism.

Children with autism tend to write overly tall and wide cursive letters, suggesting difficulties with fine motor control, says a study published 28 June in Research in Developmental Disabilities.

An autism-linked variant in the receptor for oxytocin may alter connections in the brain, according to a study published 17 May in Neuroimage.

The first sizable study to use whole-genome sequencing to investigate autism has shown its mettle, revealing new mutations and candidate genes for the disorder, according to a report published 11 July in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

A clever new test assesses whether someone with autism can recognize emotions from facial expressions without needing to name them. The test was described in the 26 June issue of Frontiers in Psychology.

Iceland’s autism prevalence of 1.2 percent is on par with that of other countries, according to a study published 20 June in BMJ Open.

Many children with autism have problems with sleep, which can worsen symptoms of the disorder. A better understanding of sleep in autism may help reveal the mechanisms of autism and point to potential treatments, say Ruth O’Hara and Michelle Primeau.

Newborn mice with an autism-linked mutation in neuroligin-3, which stabilizes junctions between neurons, have abnormal brain chemistry, according to a study published 4 June in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.