Deletions on a segment of chromosome 11 are associated with autism, attention problems and obesity, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A.

Sensory sensitivity is one of the most understudied aspects of autism. That’s a serious problem, because it underlies much of the distress experienced by people with the disorder, says best-selling author and animal scientist Temple Grandin.

Female-to-male transsexuals show more traits associated with autism than typical males or females, though the reasons for this link remain unclear.

An innovative academic program in New York City public schools is successfully educating children with high-functioning autism alongside their unaffected peers.

Parents see more benefits to a diagnosis of autism than their affected children do — perhaps unsurprising, given young people’s overwhelming desire to fit in with their peers.

Two networks of genes are abnormally expressed in the brains of people with autism, according to a study published today in Nature.

Social media is powerful, and scientists can and should harness it to help answer difficult questions. But as with any easy solution, there is a corresponding cautionary tale: Social media can just as easily misguide as be meaningful.

Autism is diagnosed based on the severity and variety of its symptoms. This makes it very difficult to diagnose and easy to confuse with other disorders, such as language delay and intellectual disability, cautions Isabelle Rapin.

Genetic screening of children with autism is critical to designing more effective interventions and treatment, says a pediatrician.

Speech-generating devices are a beneficial intervention for people with autism who cannot speak or sign, according to two studies published in the past few months.