Sir Michael Rutter, widely hailed as the ‘father of child psychiatry,’ was part of the team that first showed autism has a genetic component. He died 23 October at age 88.

The postmortem brain tissue available for autism research is overwhelmingly from people of Western European heritage. Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño and her colleagues are working to change that.

Scientists should heed these differences when considering resting-state brain activity as a biomarker for autism, the researchers say.

Autistic children from low-income families are diagnosed about eight months later than their wealthier peers, a new analysis of insurance claims in Virginia shows.

Autistic people have a higher-than-average chance of developing a neurodegenerative condition, according to a few studies. Some scientists are searching for proof — work that could also improve care for older autistic adults.

For 40 years, the preponderance of autism research has focused on understanding the causes and characteristics of the condition rather than testing assessments or interventions in community settings.

Most autistic people do not receive the medically recommended genetic tests for autism. Brenda Finucane and her colleagues want to change that.

Disparities in state services for autism are driving families to relocate. But not everyone can afford to move, and others find that their new home also has faults.

Girls are more likely to have various other conditions, such as anxiety or an eating disorder, if they are diagnosed with autism as a teenager, compared with girls diagnosed as children. The findings may suggest that clinicians miss diagnosing some autistic girls unless they also have co-occurring conditions.

As treatments for some autism-linked genetic conditions inch closer to the clinic, researchers are talking more urgently about screening all newborns for such conditions.