INSAR 2018

Recent articles

Research data visualization.

Analysis of sequences pegs 102 top autism genes

The number of top autism genes has risen from 65 to 102, based on an analysis of more than 35,000 sequences. And researchers are seeing the first hints of autism risk variants in the regions between genes.

By Jessica Wright
24 January 2020 | 4 min read
Woman doing yoga on grass field

Vitamin D linked to lowered autism risk in large study

Children born with high blood levels of vitamin D have 25 percent decreased odds of autism compared with those born with low levels.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
20 November 2019 | 4 min read
Boy pointing out moving train window

Motor difficulties forecast language troubles in autism

Children with autism who speak few words and have trouble manipulating objects tend to remain minimally verbal as they reach adulthood.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
26 August 2019 | 3 min read
Boy in hospital bed

Children with severe autism increasingly overlooked in research

The proportion of studies that include people with a severe form of autism has fallen over the past three decades.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
2 January 2019 | 5 min read
Plastic dinosaur, trex and a ghoul

Children with autism have muted fear response

Toddlers with autism show less fear when confronted with something scary than do typical children or those with developmental delay.

By Jessica Wright
25 September 2018 | 5 min read
Rotterdam night landscape

Takeaways from INSAR 2018

Adults on the spectrum, gender issues, and the search for autism biomarkers were among the key themes at this year's International Society for Autism Research annual meeting.

By Claire Cameron
14 May 2018 | 4 min read
Rotterdam cityscape

Reactions from INSAR 2018

Europe’s largest port is about to get a little busier this week as members of the autism research community pour into Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the 17th annual International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) meeting.

By Claire Cameron
12 May 2018 | 13 min read
Birdseye view of large crowd

Rise in U.S. autism prevalence stems mainly from ‘mild’ cases

The bulk of the increase in autism prevalence in the United States between 2000 and 2012 can be attributed to children on the mild end of the spectrum.

By Jessica Wright
12 May 2018 | 4 min read
hand holding ipad with images

Special interests hinder self-control in children with autism

Children with autism show much less restraint when confronted with one of their interests, compared with their typical peers.

By Hannah Furfaro
12 May 2018 | 3 min read
Child with doctor in office

Who’s ‘minimally verbal’? Depends whom you ask

The proportion of children with autism considered to be minimally verbal in a study depends on the criteria researchers use to identify them.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
12 May 2018 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Brain scan with visual noise and glitch effects.

Authors retract Science paper on controversial fMRI method

Several known but usually negligible MRI artifacts contribute to the neuronal activity signal picked up by the method, according to a preprint the authors posted earlier this month.

By Calli McMurray
25 September 2025 | 6 min read
Portrait photograph of Dame Stephanie Shirley.

In memoriam: Stephanie “Steve” Shirley, autism philanthropist

Fueled by business success and her son, she played an outsized role in British autism research.

By Lauren Schneider
25 September 2025 | 6 min read

Ann Kennedy explains the theoretical neuroscience of survival behaviors

The Scripps neuroscientist calls for a broader theoretical neuroscience approach in her area of research, which focuses on how the subcortex bridges life and cognition.

By Paul Middlebrooks
24 September 2025 | 1 min read

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