Understanding why some children appear to outgrow their autism diagnosis may provide clues about the biology of the disorder but shouldn’t dictate treatment decisions, says Deborah Fein.

People with autism often mix up the pronouns ‘me’ and ‘you.’ A new study suggests this may be because they cannot distinguish between themselves and others.

Native speakers of tonal languages who have autism are adept at identifying pitch in music, but this does not help them interpret tone in language.

After eight years of prominence as an autism risk gene, a new analysis significantly brings down CNTNAP2’s importance in the disorder: According to the study, rare mutations in a single copy of the gene are unlikely to cause autism. 

Within months of being diagnosed with autism, preschoolers with the disorder may already be on distinct trajectories, according to a study published 28 January in JAMA Psychiatry.  The findings suggest that the severity of autism symptoms does not track with the ability to function in daily life.

Grad students and postdocs prove why basic science matters, and an outbreak sends a sobering message.

Home videos may ease social deficits in babies, and a supplement maker is scolded over autism claims.

Many toddlers with autism display so few abnormal behaviors during short doctor visits that they may evade the diagnostic eye of even expert clinicians.

Names such as autism, schizophrenia and intellectual disability are ‘umbrella’ terms that muddy the search for the true cause of an individual’s symptoms, says Eric London. He plans to come up with an alternative diagnostic scheme for developmental disabilities over the next two years.

Adapting traditional tests of intelligence for people with intellectual disability can deflate their scores over time. Somer Bishop calls for tests that more accurately assess intelligence in this group.