Health care

Recent articles

Illustration of a hand and various blocks, check boxes, and shapes and lines.

To accelerate the study of neurodevelopment, we need a transdiagnostic framework

Our tendency to focus on one condition at a time likely silos expertise and services—and obscures critical connections across diagnostic categories.

By Kelsie Boulton, Adam Guastella
6 February 2025 | 6 min read
Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.

Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman

A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.

By Cathleen O’Grady
25 July 2024 | 8 min read
A hand holds a stack of speech bubbles.

Leveraging the power of community to strengthen clinical trials for rare genetic syndromes

Families can become not only participants but champions of these research efforts.

By Shafali Spurling Jeste
11 July 2024 | 7 min read
Portrait of Matthew Siegel sitting on a staircase.

Pinning down ‘profound autism’ for reliable research: Q&A with Matthew Siegel

A clear and actionable definition for the term could enhance research and improve care, Matthew Siegel says.

By Katie Moisse
13 June 2024 | 7 min read
an illustration of scientists parachuting

The perils of parachute research

Scientists who study autism in lower-income countries are working to end practices that exploit or ignore collaborators and communities on the ground.

By Linda Nordling
6 June 2024 | 11 min read
Three groups of people meet and mix at a crossroads.

Year in Review: Spectrum’s best in 2023

Here are five must-reads from our coverage of autism research over the past 12 months.

28 December 2023 | 4 min read
Headshot of Sara Litvak.

Head of company that accredits autism service providers resigns after article retraction

The resignation follows reporting by Spectrum and Retraction Watch in October about nonexistent references in the retracted article.

By Ellie Kincaid
29 November 2023 | 4 min read
A crumpled piece of paper atop a stack of papers against a grey background.

Article defending private-equity involvement in autism services retracted

Nearly two-thirds of the article’s references appear to not exist.

By Ellie Kincaid, Retraction Watch
19 October 2023 | 5 min read
Illustration of a series of web browser windows overlaid over a face, distorting it.

Scammers threaten quality of research survey data

Jammed online surveys and invaded video calls are forcing researchers to rethink their outreach methods.

By Shaena Montanari
24 August 2023 | 10 min listen
Photograph of a doctor and nurse checking a patient’s temperature and taking notes.

Co-occurring conditions in autistic teens increase with age

The most prevalent conditions include obesity, neurological disorders, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

By Calli McMurray
8 August 2023 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

On the importance of reading (just not too much)

The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.

By Sheena Josselyn
9 June 2025 | 8 min read
Research image of developing axons in the fly brain.

How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate

Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

By Calli McMurray
6 June 2025 | 6 min read
Distorted floppy discs.

NIH autism database announcement raises concerns among researchers

The U.S. National Institutes of Health announced a plan to pour $50 million into data science projects intended to investigate the condition’s causes, but the initiative’s short timeline and other atypicalities have prompted questions.

By Angie Voyles Askham
5 June 2025 | 5 min read