Like their neurotypical peers, autistic children like to eat macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, French fries and hot dogs, but their list of favorites holds some surprises.

The loss of 21 genes on chromosome 3 may substantially raise the risk of autism.

Separating sensitivity to sensory stimuli from the response to the stimuli may help scientists understand the root cause of sensory traits in autistic people.

Watch the complete replay of Christine Conelea and Suma Jacob discussing the emergence of repetitive behaviors in autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping and spinning may give autistic people a sense of control; instead of discouraging these behaviors, therapists should address triggers upsetting to autistic people.

Researchers have engineered two generations of monkeys with mutations in SHANK3, a top autism gene. The first generation shows traits reminiscent of the condition.

About half of boys and men with fragile X syndrome injure themselves — and continue to do so for years.

Mice colonized with gut microbes from some autistic boys show behaviors like those of the boys.

Restricted and repetitive behaviors decrease significantly in about 75 percent of autistic children from age 3 to 11.

Autistic infants who have extreme responses to sights, sounds or textures tend to harm themselves as toddlers.