Many people with mutations in the NCKAP1 gene have autism or autism traits, according to a new study spanning seven countries.

Mice missing an autism gene groom themselves more than usual and have altered circadian rhythms after nighttime exposure to light.

The brainstem controls such disparate functions as breathing, sensation and sleep — all of which can be altered in autism.

Doctors and scientists should consider sleep problems an integral part of autism and begin to study them in more rigorous ways.

Children with autism are more likely than typical children to have had problems falling asleep as infants, and to have shown brain overgrowth.

Toddlers who sleep poorly or overreact or underreact to sensory stimuli have more repetitive behaviors and other autism traits later in childhood.

Analyzing five sleep-related factors reveals associations between sleep troubles in autistic children and problem behaviors during the day.

Melatonin appears to be safe for long-term use in autistic children who have difficulty sleeping.

Many people with autism have difficulty falling and staying asleep, but there may be ways to help them.

Cardiac activity could reveal autism’s physiology and confirm a hunch many clinicians share: that people with autism experience great stress.