Determining whether a young person with autism is ready to drive can be tricky for their health care providers.

That's the upshot of a new survey that included 78 pediatric physicians, psychologists and other providers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Half of the respondents said they routinely...

Kids with autism have low levels of a protein that quiets overactive brain cells, which may explain why so many have epilepsy, according to a new study.

Because the protein can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid, it may have promise as a marker to diagnose autism and as a potential treatment target for the epilepsy tha...

Autism may be more prevalent among American children than believed, a new U.S. government study shows.

One in 44 children at age 8 in the United States have been diagnosed with the developmental disorder, a jump from the previous estimate of 1 in 54 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found.

But a second study offered more heartening news: After look...

Teens and young adults with autism show marked differences in their brains' white matter compared to those without the disorder, a new study finds.

"If you think of gray matter as the computer, white matter is like the cables," said study co-author Clara Weber, a postgraduate research fellow at Yale University School of Medicine.

The changes are most apparent in the region involved ...

A significantly increased risk of self-harm and suicide among people with autism shows the need for programs to reduce that risk, researchers say.

For their study, the investigators analyzed 31 studies on the link between autism and self-harm/suicide that were posted to five databases between 1999 and 2021. Overall, children and adults with autism had a threefold increased risk of self-ha...

Despite hints of promise from early research, a new clinical trial finds no evidence that kids with autism benefit from nasal sprays containing the "love" hormone oxytocin.

Researchers called the findings disappointing.

But they said the study also offers important information: Some parents of children with autism are already using oxytocin nasal sprays in the hopes of supporting th...

When you're putting on a brave face to mask disappointment or shedding tears of joy, kids with autism are likely to misunderstand how you're really feeling.

That's because they don't use context to identify underlying emotions, according to a new study investigating whether kids with autism are able to tell when one emotion is concealing a different one.

The comparative analysis loo...

Pregnant women who receive an epidural to ease their pain during labor aren't any more likely than others to have kids with autism, two new studies show.

Earlier research suggested this practice may increase autism risk in offspring, but the pair of studies should put this concern to rest for good, experts say.

"Parents can be reassured that there is no link between using epidurals ...

Eating well and exercising regularly can be a challenge for anyone. But for those with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities, that challenge is exponentially greater.

Many young men and women with autism and intellectual disabilities face a significantly higher risk for obesity, and all the health complications that follow.

Yet, a small, new pilot study suggests...

Infants may show early signs of autism, but a diagnosis usually isn't made until age 3. Now, a new study suggests that jumpstarting therapy might stave off that diagnosis altogether.

Researchers say their preemptive, parent-led intervention could have a significant impact on children's social development and longer-term disabilities.

"What we found is that the babies who received ou...

Parents of a child with autism might wonder if a pet cat would be a good fit for the family. Now, research suggests both children with autism and cats benefit when a feline joins the household.

Gretchen Carlisle, a research scientist at the Missouri University Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction, in Columbia, Mo., and her colleagues studied the pet dynamic from both sides.

...

Adults with autism, intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders are at increased risk for COVID-19 and severe illness, researchers report.

Being aware of the heightened risk is important in prioritizing COVID-19 prevention measures, such as vaccination, testing, masking and distancing for these groups, the researchers said.

"These high-risk populations should be recognized ...

Babies born prematurely, even just a couple weeks early, may be at increased risk of autism, a large new study suggests.

It's long been known that autism, a developmental brain disorder, is more common among children who were born preterm -- before the 37th week of pregnancy.

Researchers said the new study, of more than 4 million people, gives a clearer breakdown of the risks associ...

Children with autism differ socially and developmentally from their typically developing peers. Now, researchers say there are also differences in their array of healthy gut bacteria or "microbiome."

The findings may lead to earlier treatment for kids with an autism spectrum disorder, suggested the authors of a new small study.

The gut microbiome can vary according to where people l...

Teens and adults with autism may be less likely than others to use drugs and alcohol, but new research finds those who do are nearly nine times more likely to use these substances to mask symptoms, including those related to autism.

This is known as camouflaging, and it has been linked to mental health issues and increased risk for suicide among people with autism.

"Seeing such star...

Telehealth is increasing in popularity in the United States, partly due to the pandemic. But some children with autism have difficulty sitting through these virtual appointments.

Yet those visits can be a helpful part of a child's ongoing medical care, and their convenience may help limit time away from work and school, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Children web...

A leading medical group is offering testing guidelines for children with autistic behaviors.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health emphasized that certain measurements to test for exposure to chemicals are not helpful to guide treatment. The council pointed out that just because a chemical is found in the body doesn't mean it will cause harm.

The counc...

Early screening for autism can speed up diagnosis and treatment, and now new research shows that pediatricians are more likely to act when parents express concerns.

According to pediatricians surveyed in the study, only 39% of toddlers who had failed a screening looking for autism signs were then referred to additional expert evaluation.

"The lack of referral follow-through was beca...

Adults with autism report a broad range of sexuality -- being much more likely to identify as asexual, bisexual or homosexual than people without autism, a new study finds.

In a survey of nearly 2,400 adults, researchers found that those with autism were three to nine times more likely to identify as homosexual, asexual or "other."

Among men, those with autism were over three times ...

While it's well established that autism and certain eating issues go hand in hand, does gender also play a role?

Apparently it does, according to Swedish researchers who set out to better understand whether being male or female influenced eating issues in people who have autism.

The study found that autistic traits predicted eating problems, but the link was more pronounced partic...

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, a number of services that people count on were put on hold -- unfortunately, this included therapeutic and educational services for those with autism, according to a new study.

To determine this impact, UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment distributed a national survey between April 15 and May 1, 2020.

"Our first significant finding was...

Autism appears to develop differently in girls and boys, so the findings of research conducted mainly with boys might not apply to girls, a new study suggests.

Autism spectrum disorder is four times more common in boys, which may help explain why there's far less research about autism in girls.

"This new study provides us with a roadmap for understanding how to better match current ...