New algorithms can analyze recordings of infants performing tasks that gauge their attention, suggesting a way to automate the detection of autism symptoms.

With the rate of autism now at 1 in 68 people and climbing, the need for solutions that reach the risk population more quickly and effectively has never been more real, say Dennis Wall and Glenn Saxe.

A new policy that aims to eliminate gender bias in animal and cell-based biomedical research is outlined in the 15 May Nature.
 

Parents may notice a loss of skills in their children as it is happening, but do not recall it clearly later on. The unpublished research, presented yesterday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, hints at a fatal flaw in diagnostic tools for autism that rely on parents’ memory.

Untrained volunteers can reliably detect signs of autism in children by watching home videos of the children posted on YouTube, suggests a study published 16 April in PLoS One. But critics say fundamental design flaws in the study undermine its results.

A Norwegian study published in February suggested that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers fails to detect many cases of autism at 18 months of age. The creators of the test explain why there’s more to the story.

A set of six questions about child development can identify parental biases and help to improve the accuracy of a commonly used autism test, according to a study published 30 March in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Two studies published in the past month lend support to the notion that autism looks different in girls than it does in boys, making it harder to recognize and diagnose in girls. The studies reflect growing suspicion in the research community that the underlying biology and the experiences of girls with autism may both be distinct.

Self-administered questionnaires for adults in the general population may not distinguish between traits of autism and other conditions, suggests a provocative study published 17 December in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

An updated version of a test that detects autism symptoms in toddlers is shorter, simpler and more accurate than its predecessor, making it easier for pediatricians to identify children in need of further testing, reports a study published in the January issue of Pediatrics.