The most prevalent conditions include obesity, neurological disorders, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Developmental delay, intellectual disability and behavioral issues are common among people who have mutations in MYT1L, a gene with strong ties to autism.

Newborns with either above- or below-average levels of an immune-system marker, among other differences, have increased odds of being autistic.

Pediatric primary care practitioners have a critical responsibility to provide guidance for autistic children struggling with weight gain, and to advocate for them at home and at school.

For people with fragile X syndrome, progress in daily living skills and behavior tends to stall later in life.

Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

Researcher Randi Hagerman is a big proponent of metformin — a diabetes drug that she is testing in people with fragile X syndrome. In fact, Hagerman takes the drug herself as a preventive measure against cancer.

Finding a mutation linked to autism traits can have life-changing consequences for autistic individuals and their families.

Genetic tests for people with autism are far from routine and don’t always yield results, but the information they offer can change lives.

This year’s list of top papers highlights new dimensions in our understanding of autism genetics and hints at novel treatments.