Children whose fathers are highly intelligent are at a higher risk of autism than those whose fathers are of average intelligence.

Exposure to inflammation in the womb may affect the brain and behavior of males and females differently.

Autistic infants as young as 4 months may have fewer verbal exchanges with their caregivers than their peers do.

About 10 percent of autistic children have suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

People with autism who harm themselves are more than 30 times as likely as the general population to commit suicide. The risk is especially pronounced among girls and women on the spectrum.

Several of the brain’s responses to sound are sluggish in autistic children who speak few or no words, compared with those who are verbal.

Autistic infants who have extreme responses to sights, sounds or textures tend to harm themselves as toddlers.

Most 4-year-old autistic children cannot string more than two words together.

Restricted and repetitive behaviors decrease significantly in about 75 percent of autistic children from age 3 to 11.

Depression may influence how people with autism perform on tests of social function.