Mutations in a gene called TRIP12 — which is involved in tagging proteins for destruction — can lead to intellectual disability, language delay and autism.

Young adults with autism face many new expectations and challenges — with none of the support that is available during high school.

Conventional wisdom holds that people with autism don’t get hooked on alcohol or other drugs, but new evidence suggests otherwise.

A massive sequencing study spanning seven countries links 38 new genes to autism and developmental delay.

About one in four children with autism hit, scratch or otherwise hurt themselves, suggests an analysis of school and medical records for more than 8,000 children.

The jury is still out on autism screening, technology to track wandering children is under attack, and a sensitive Santa Claus sees children on the spectrum.

Some children with autism carry harmful mutations in the DNA found in mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers.

Exposure to influenza and a lack of sunlight may drive the increased risk of autism.

DNA deletions and duplications tied to autism crop up in people without the condition, too.

A set of seven standard tests can accurately assess cognitive capacities in people with various types of intellectual disability.