Outlook: Autism

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Culture: Diverse diagnostics

The study of autism around the globe must account for a variety of behavioural norms in different societies.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
6 December 2012 | 10 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Perspective: Imaging autism

Several studies in the past two years have claimed that brain scans can diagnose autism, but this assertion is deeply flawed, says Nicholas Lange.

By Nicholas Lange
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Epidemiology: Complex disorder

Researchers are digging into the myriad causes of autism to refine its definition and find elusive biological signatures.

By Virginia Hughes
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Perspective: Brain scans need a rethink

Head movement can bias brain imaging results, undermining a leading theory on the cause of autism, say Ben Deen and Kevin Pelphrey.

By Benjamin Deen, Kevin Pelphrey
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Treatments: In the waiting room

After years of making do with drugs developed for other conditions, doctors and scientists are eagerly pursuing drugs that target the social symptoms of autism.

By Michael Eisenstein
6 December 2012 | 13 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Diagnosis: Redefining autism

Draft diagnostic guidelines are raising concerns that mild forms of the disorder may no longer be recognized.

By Emily Singer
6 December 2012 | 10 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Adulthood: Life lessons

We know little about autism past adolescence, but a well-studied generation of children with autism will change that.

By Lindsay Borthwick
6 December 2012 | 9 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Child development: The first steps

Because infants born into families with autism are more likely to develop the condition, studying them might lead to ways to diagnose people in the general population earlier.

By Katherine Bourzac
6 December 2012 | 13 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Genetics: Searching for answers

Solving the riddle of autism genetics will require looking beyond the growing list of candidate genes to epigenetics and personalized medicine.

By Sarah C. P. Williams
6 December 2012 | 15 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of resting-state functional MRI.

Acetaminophen effects on developing brain organoids; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 October.

By Jill Adams
13 October 2026 | 1 min read
Illustration of hands holding cash.

Private initiative makes ‘historic’ investment in autism research

Aligning Research to Impact Autism has committed more than $450 million to build a new multidisciplinary research network to uncover the roots of profound autism and develop treatments.

By Madeline Shaw
13 October 2026 | 4 min read
Edgar Adrian works in the laboratory, around 1920.

The neural code at 100

In two 1926 articles, Edgar Douglas Adrian revealed that neurons communicate through trains of spikes.

By Matteo Carandini
12 October 2026 | 8 min read