Autistic people and their families are increasingly experimenting with marijuana to try to ease problems such as insomnia, epilepsy and chronic pain — and traits of autism. But there is little evidence for its safety or effectiveness.

The bulk of the increase in autism prevalence stems from a growing awareness of the condition and changes to the diagnostic criteria.

Contrary to previous results, the blood pressure drug did not uniformly improve autism traits in a new clinical trial.

Mice missing the autism gene NLGN3 have altered social behaviors and brain responses to the hormone oxytocin, both of which improve after treatment with a drug that helps regulate protein production.

Conversations between an autistic and a typical person involve less smiling and more mismatched facial expressions than do interactions between two typical people.

Mutations in the MECP2 gene, which are associated with autism and Rett syndrome, interfere with a cell’s ability to form droplets of DNA that silence gene expression.

The Netflix series that follows 20-something autistic adults looking for love is well intentioned but fails to capture reality and is riddled with bad advice.

Women who use marijuana while pregnant may be more likely to give birth to an autistic child. But investigators call for a cautious interpretation of the results.

A growing number of studies are revealing circuits that may underlie social challenges in autism — and how to fine-tune them.

A pair of tools that gauge social abilities in rhesus macaques may help researchers study autism-like behaviors in monkeys.