Autism

Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

What is Autism?

Autism is not a single disease entity. It is part of a range of developmental disorders known as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). They begin in childhood and last through adulthood.

What is Sensory Overload?

Autism Spectrum Disorder & Allergies

Are Apraxia and Autism Related?

Autism Causes

Autism Screening

Autism and Junk DNA

Autism and Sleep Problems

Autism Mechanism

Autism History

The Reward System and Autism

Moving House with Autism: Reducing Stress & Anxiety

See more featured articles »

Autism Related Conditions

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autism

Detecting Autism Early

What is Autistic Burnout?

Gut Bacteria and Autism Development

Autism Prognosis

Evidence for Autism being a Genetic Condition

Travelling with a Child Who Has Autism

Autism and Particulate Air Matter

Autism Management

Autoantibodies and Autism

Autism Classification

Picky Eating and Autism: Tips & Advice

Latest Autism News and Research

Restoring neuron balance in the amygdala reverses anxiety in mice

The Synaptic Physiology laboratory, led by Juan Lerma at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche, has discovered that a specific group of neurons in the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotion regulation, plays a key role in the emergence of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and altered social behavior.

4 Jul 2025

Early life exposure to PFHxA may impact male brain development

"Forever chemicals" or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been widely used in consumer and industrial products for the better part of a century, but do not break down in the natural environment.

4 Jul 2025

To keep Medicaid, mom caring for disabled adult son faces prospect of proving she works

Four years before Kimberly Gallagher enrolled in Medicaid herself, the public health insurance program's rules prompted her to make an excruciating choice — to give up guardianship of her son so she could work as his caregiver.

3 Jul 2025

Nanoemulsion form of vitamin D3 could improve core manifestations of autism

This study investigates the effectiveness of a vitamin D3-loaded nanoemulsion in improving the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

2 Jul 2025

Transforming OCD treatment through research and innovation

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) impacts approximately 2% of the global population, often preventing individuals from living life to their full potential.

2 Jul 2025

‘MAHA Report’ calls for fighting chronic disease, but Trump and Kennedy have yanked funding

‘MAHA report’ calls for fighting chronic disease, but Trump and Kennedy have yanked funding

2 Jul 2025

ETRI develops innovative technology for early autism screening in young children

ETRI researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technique for the early screening of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

30 Jun 2025

Investigating the role of ultra-processed foods in the inheritance of autism and ADHD

In a recent publication released by PubMed, American scientist Dr. Renee Dufault at the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, provides a peer-reviewed protocol for determining the role ultra-processed foods play in prenatal heavy metal exposures and changes in the expression of the zinc dependent MT-1 (metallothionein) gene that impact child neurodevelopment.

27 Jun 2025

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers sow doubts as scientists protest US pivot on shots

As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he'd fired earlier met inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters to plan a more skeptical vaccine future.

27 Jun 2025

What RFK Jr. isn’t talking about: How to make vaccines safer

Within an hour of receiving a covid vaccination in November 2020, Utah preschool teacher Brianne Dressen felt pins and needles through her arms and legs.

25 Jun 2025

UNIGE scientists uncover two key proteins that regulate chromatin remodelling

Cells depend on the precise reading of DNA sequences to function correctly. This process, known as gene expression, determines which genetic instructions are activated.

24 Jun 2025

Cannabidiol may help reduce problematic behaviors in autistic boys

Researchers at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis, could help reduce problematic behaviors in autistic boys.

23 Jun 2025

SFARI releases largest dataset on hospitalized children with autism

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) has released phenotypic and genetic data from the Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC), a cohort of more than 1,500 youth participants ages 4 to 20 years old who were hospitalized in one of six child psychiatry units in the United States.

20 Jun 2025

Placenta and prenatal hormones may drive human brain evolution

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioral traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

20 Jun 2025

Chemical pairing of BPA and retinoic acid disrupts brain development

Synthetic chemicals and plastics are useful and indispensable in our lives. On the other hand, the world is grappling with plastic pollution-clogging oceans, threatening wildlife, and leaching into ecosystems.

19 Jun 2025

Disrupted biological rhythms in teens can produce unexpected brain effects

A new McGill University-led study suggests that disrupting the body's internal clock during adolescence can alter how the brain responds to an in-utero risk factor linked to certain brain disorders.

17 Jun 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': RFK Jr. upends vaccine policy, after promising he wouldn’t

After explicitly promising senators during his confirmation hearing that he would not interfere in scientific policy over which Americans should receive which vaccines, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week fired every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group of experts who help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make those evidence-based judgments.

12 Jun 2025