Deletions in the autism-linked gene AUTS2 trigger a variety of symptoms, including intellectual disability, developmental delay, a small head and unusual facial features, suggests a large study published 7 February in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Robots may be able to help treat children with autism when qualified therapists aren’t available, according to a study published 3 December in IEEE Translational Neural Systems Rehabilitation Engingeering.

Children with attention difficulties may later show signs of autism, such as trouble holding a conversation, according to a study published 14 November in Psychological Medicine.

Feedback on our website from parents of socially proficient children with Rett syndrome raises interesting questions about the disorder: Is social disinterest really a symptom of the disorder?

Scientists may be getting duplicate grants for the same project, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars in funding, according to an analysis published 30 January in Nature.

The autism-linked protein MET is expressed at lower levels in the brains of men with autism than in control brains, according to unpublished research presented Thursday at the Salk Institute, Fondation IPSEN and Nature Symposium on Biological Complexity in La Jolla, California. Women with autism do not differ from healthy controls, however.

Researchers have made neurons from the skin cells of mice that model Rett syndrome, according to a study published in the December issue Molecular Psychiatry.

Resource-poor countries need better safeguards for doing ethical studies, says a new study published 3 January in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has designated funds to help New York University’s Langone Medical Center replace lost equipment and relocate research labs damaged during Hurricane Sandy.

Parents who have one child with autism would like a genetic test to predict their next child’s risk of the disorder. But it’s not clear how well the tests work.