Combining two genetic tests with a physical exam may flag young children at risk for autism years earlier than behavioral assessments do.

A new tool that charts large DNA duplications and deletions in single cells may help researchers assess the variants’ contribution to autism.

A new computer program predicts the effects of mutations in regions of the genome that control gene expression. Researchers can use the tool, called DeepBind, to gauge whether autism-linked mutations might block the genetic landing strips for regulatory proteins.

DNA sequences called enhancers — which boost the expression of genes from within or outside them — are enriched for genetic variants linked to autism, suggests a new study. The finding may help researchers understand how variants outside genes contribute to autism.

A surprisingly large proportion of people with autism have complex chromosomal rearrangements that were missed by conventional genetic screening.

Balls of neurons derived from skin cells of four boys with autism show shared alterations in biology and gene expression, researchers reported today in Cell. The findings finger FOXG1, a gene involved in brain development, as a player in autism.

California might make vaccines mandatory, and religious figures may weigh in on the genetic engineering of embryos.

There is some evidence that neural habituation — the process by which neurons get used to sensory stimuli — goes awry in autism. Mutant fish may help us understand the sensory sensitivities that often accompany the disorder, says Alan Packer.

Rare inherited mutations may contribute to autism in roughly 10 percent of boys with the disorder, according to a study published 11 May in Nature Genetics. These genetic glitches are primarily passed down from unaffected mothers.

A new method simultaneously reveals a single cell’s DNA sequence and which of its genes are turned on.