The newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is an imperfect document, but it is far from the calamity that many have accused it of being, says Ari Ne’eman.

There are several reasons why social communication disorder should not have been included in the DSM-5, says Helen Tager-Flusberg.

Quick tests that detect the protein missing in fragile X syndrome can be used to screen newborns for the disorder and find treatments, according to two studies published in the past two months.

The National Institute of Mental Health is moving away from research proposals that hew closely to clinical diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder. The announcement has struck many autism researchers as an attack on the already-controversial new diagnostic criteria for the disorder.

Listen to our virtual roundtable on the DSM-5 criteria for autism, featuring Thomas Insel, Catherine Lord and Helen Tager-Flusberg.

On Saturday, the American Psychiatric Association released the DSM-5, the long-awaited new version of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

In April, Massachusetts-based diagnostics company SynapDx launched a large-scale study of its blood test for autism, which analyzes expression of a panel of genes.

A genetic test purported to detect children with autism may instead be highlighting ancestry differences, says T. Grant Belgard.

Conversations with researchers at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain, raised provocative questions about the nature of autism. How do we make sense of its staggering heterogeneity, multiple genetic causes and widespread overlap with other disorders?

A ten-minute screen combining a parent questionnaire and home video can detect autism with 90 percent specificity, according to unpublished research presented Thursday at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.