Children who are born with mild heart problems are more likely to be autistic than their typical peers are.

Delivery by cesarean section leads to subtle brain and behavioral alterations in mice, particularly those delivered prematurely.

Exposure to infection in utero may speed up the expression of many genes linked to autism — and hasten changes in brain anatomy.

Marmosets exposed to a mock infection in the womb have altered vocal development and diminished social interest; exposed macaques show changes in brain structure and function.

A 3D model of a human embryo reveals the biological processes that unfold in early development.

Being anemic while pregnant may increase a woman’s chance of having a child with intellectual disability, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A new study that combines data from more than 20 million births has found that a cesarean section delivery is associated with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.

About 81 percent of autism risk comes from inherited genetic factors, according to an analysis of more than 2 million children from five countries.