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.

Autism Causes

Autism Mechanism

Autism Classification

Autism Screening

Autism Prognosis

Gut Bacteria and Autism Development

Detecting Autism Early

Autism Management

Autism History

Autism Related Conditions

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autism

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The Reward System and Autism

Autism and Junk DNA

Autism and Sleep Problems

Picky Eating and Autism: Tips & Advice

Travelling with a Child Who Has Autism

Moving House with Autism: Reducing Stress & Anxiety

Autism Spectrum Disorder & Allergies

Autism and Particulate Air Matter

Are Apraxia and Autism Related?

Evidence for Autism being a Genetic Condition

Latest Autism News and Research

Children determine emotion by what they hear, rather than what they see

Children determine emotion by what they hear, rather than what they see, according to new research. The first-of-its-kind study, by Durham University's Department of Psychology, looked at how children pick up on the emotions of a situation.

26 Jan 2021

Autistic children may be more likely to misinterpret healthy arguments between their parents

A new study suggests children on the autism spectrum may be more likely to misinterpret healthy arguments between their parents as being negative, compared to children who aren't on the autism spectrum.

26 Jan 2021

LSD could be a viable and safe therapeutic option for certain psychiatric diseases

Researchers from McGill University have discovered, for the first time, one of the possible mechanisms that contributes to the ability of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to increase social interaction.

26 Jan 2021

Machine learning identifies patterns of maternal autoantibodies associated with autism

Using machine learning, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute have identified several patterns of maternal autoantibodies highly associated with the diagnosis and severity of autism.

26 Jan 2021

Study shows high prevalence of mental health conditions among children with autism

Nearly 78 per cent of children with autism have at least one mental health condition and nearly half have two mental health conditions or more, according to a new U.S. study from the University of British Columbia's department of psychology and the AJ Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University (Pennsylvania).

19 Jan 2021

Study finds sex differences in the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on autism-related genes

A new study by researchers from Chulalongkorn University, Tohoku University, and The George Washington University is the first to identify autism candidate genes that may be responsible for the sex-specific effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the brain.

19 Jan 2021

Study: Half of all teenagers treated for severe obesity have neuropsychiatric problems

Half of all young people treated for severe obesity have neuropsychiatric problems, according to a new study by researchers from Lund University and Gothenburg, Sweden, among others. Two thirds of the teens suffered from some type of mental health problem, as reported by themselves or their parents.

19 Jan 2021

Mothers of children with autism have many significantly different metabolite levels, study finds

Now, a study by researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Arizona State University, and the Mayo Clinic found that mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder had several marked different metabolite levels two to five years after they gave birth compared to mothers of normally developing children.

17 Jan 2021

Special interests can potentially benefit individuals with autism

When he was in middle school, teachers would give Sam Curran a list of words to type in a computer to practice his vocabulary.

15 Jan 2021

New method uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces

The intestines and their bacteria are sometimes called our ’second brain’, but studying these bacteria in their natural environment is difficult. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces.

15 Jan 2021

Large study provides new understanding of genome diversity in Ukrainian population

Today, the largest study of genetic diversity in Ukraine was published in the open science journal GigaScience.

13 Jan 2021

Cats may help improve autistic children’s social skills and reduce anxiety

As a former school nurse in the Columbia Public Schools, Gretchen Carlisle would often interact with students with disabilities who took various medications or had seizures throughout the day.

12 Jan 2021

Stress during pregnancy could affect the baby's chance of developing multiple diseases

Stress on an expectant mother could affect her baby's chance of developing disease - perhaps even over the course of the child's life, UC researchers have found.

12 Jan 2021

Mosaic mutations during embryonic development can cause autism spectrum disorder

Two studies in today's Nature Neuroscience, led by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS), implicate mosaic mutations arising during embryonic development as a cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The findings open new areas for exploring the genetics of ASD and could eventually inform diagnostic testing.

11 Jan 2021

Researchers identify biomarkers in sperm for paternal offspring autism susceptibility

Biomarkers in human sperm have been identified that can indicate a propensity to father children with autism spectrum disorder.

11 Jan 2021

Research opens up hope-filled possibilities for new autism therapies

Recent years have provided substantial research displaying the effect of genetic mutations on the development of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

11 Jan 2021

Vanderbilt researcher proposes an explanatory paradigm for the cause of autism

A unifying explanation of the cause of autism and the reason for its rising prevalence has eluded scientists for decades, but a theoretical model published in the journal Medical Hypotheses describes the cause as a combination of socially valued traits, common in autism, and any number of co-occurring disabilities.

8 Jan 2021

Mount Sinai and Rumi Scientific join hands to initiate autism drug discovery pipeline

The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Rumi Scientific announced today that they will team up to initiate a drug discovery pipeline for rare genetic disorders that carry a high risk of autism.

6 Jan 2021

Children’s hospitals grapple with wave of mental illness

Krissy Williams, 15, had attempted suicide before, but never with pills.

6 Jan 2021

Experts assess the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric patients with special needs

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with disabilities has not received much attention, perhaps because the disease disproportionately affects older individuals.

4 Jan 2021