Autistic children are up to four times as likely as their non-autistic peers to have digestive problems, and several small studies show they may also have atypical microbial communities living in their guts. But whether those flora contribute to their autism traits remains unclear.
The gut’s connection to autism
Autistic children are up to four times as likely as their non-autistic peers to have digestive problems, and several small studies show they may also have atypical microbial communities living in their guts.
By
Katie Moisse
21 April 2021 | 3 min watch
Animation by Lottie Kingslake; script by Katie Moisse, voiceover by Chelsey Coombs
tags:
Recommended reading

Sensory gatekeeper drives seizures, autism-like behaviors in mouse model
By
Diana Kwon
11 September 2025 | 5 min listen

Protein interactions important to SYNGAP1-related conditions; and more
By
Jill Adams
9 September 2025 | 2 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
First nerve-net connectome shows how evolutionarily ancient nervous system coordinates movement
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
16 September 2025 | 0 min watch

International scientific collaboration is more necessary—yet more challenging—than ever
By
Lucina Q. Uddin
15 September 2025 | 6 min listen

Oxytocin shapes both mouse mom and pup behavior
By
Claudia López Lloreda
11 September 2025 | 5 min read
Cite this article: