Europe’s largest port is about to get a little busier this week as members of the autism research community pour into Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the 17th annual International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) meeting.

Scientists release a list of all randomized controlled trials of autism treatments, China establishes a brain center for an ambitious new project, and people around the world march for science again.

In this episode, host Jacob Brogan talks to autism researchers and families with children on the spectrum in France and Ethiopia. However different the two countries may be, advocates in both places are working to overturn outdated beliefs about autism that blame parents and block access to evidence-backed services and treatment.

Autism’s underlying biology, associated behaviors and treatments can all put people on the spectrum at serious risk for obesity.

Young people with autism who have psychiatric problems may stand a ninefold greater chance of having an encounter with the police than do others on the spectrum.

After lagging behind other countries for decades, France is working on a new national plan for autism.

A growing number of researchers work with people on the spectrum when designing their studies — sometimes with help from programs intended to boost such partnerships.

In 2017, autism scientists took to Twitter to express their thoughts on immigration, healthcare policy, education leadership, proposed funding cuts and Brexit.

Many African children with autism are hidden away at home — sometimes tied up, almost always undiagnosed. Efforts to bring the condition into the open are only just beginning.

Adults on the spectrum explain the problem with eye contact, experts offer tips for students with autism considering college, and men with autism respond differently to the “smell of fear.”