Autism cases are surging in the New York-New Jersey metro area, mainly fueled by the diagnosis of autistic children who don't have intellectual disabilities, a new study reports.

The percentage of kids identified with autism spectrum disorder rose from about 1% in 2000 to 3% in 2016 in that region, said lead researcher

Children with autism often have difficulty grasping the emotional cues in other people's voices, and now researchers may have zeroed in on the reason why.

In a study of 43 kids with and without autism, researchers were able to trace such difficulties to a particular brain area -- one involved in social communication.

Experts said the findings suggest that children with autism are pr...

When children have autism, it's possible to recognize the symptoms as early as when they are 18 months old.

Although it takes a doctor to diagnose the condition, parents and caregivers should be aware of the signs, advises the Autism Research Institute, offering some other tips for noticing early symptoms.

Children with autism may have variety of social, communication and behaviora...

A common characteristic of autism is a reluctance to make eye contact with others, and researchers now think they know where in the brain this comes from.

Brain scans show that folks with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had significantly less activity in their dorsal parietal cortex during eye-to-eye contact, compared to people without ASD, researchers report.

This brain region has b...

Autism is a more comprehensive disorder than previously thought, and appears to arise from brain changes located throughout the cerebral cortex, not just in specific areas, a new study reports.

Because of autism's specific symptoms, scientists had thought the disorder was likely caused by changes in brain regions believed to affect social behavior and language.

But the new study -- ...

Women who have autism are more vulnerable during pregnancy to depression and anxiety, according to a new British study.

That makes it imperative that effective mental health screening and support is available to help this group, said lead researcher Sarah Hampton, from the University of Cambridge.

For many kids with autism, Rhett, a black Labrador retriever, has been a calming and comforting influence in his seven years as a therapy dog.

But parents shouldn't assume that a service pooch is the solution for every child on the autism spectrum, a new study...

Could air pollution land children with autism in the hospital?

A new study found that short-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a higher risk for hospitalization among kids with the developmental disorder.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often admitted due to such ...

Research has suggested that kids born to moms who had the flu or another infection during pregnancy may be more likely to have autism, but a new study implies infection may not be the cause after all.

"We found no evidence to suggest that infections contracted by mothers during pregnancy would cause autism in the child," said study author Martin Brynge. He's a doctoral student in the glob...

A frequently used screening test for autism creates a gender gap that could hinder diagnosis and treatment for women and girls, a new study suggests.

Researchers who study autism have been working to include m...

While half of mothers of children with autism suffer symptoms of depression, a new study has discovered that did not raise the risk of behavioral problems for their kids.

It was both a surprising and heartenin...

More than 70 genes are very strongly associated with autism and more than 250 are linked to the condition, a major new genetic analysis has revealed.

The analysis is the largest of its kind to date, involving more than 150,000 participants, including 20,000 diagnosed with autism.

The researchers found t...

Dr. Shaun Murphy, the lead character in "The Good Doctor," is a brilliant medical mind who also happens to have autism.

He's not the only television character you may know and love who navigates the challenges of ...

Adults with autism have high rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and shots, a new study shows.

That's good news, because autistic adults have multiple risk factors for COVID-19 infection and for more severe illness if they contract the disease, the researchers said.

"Reaching this group effectively in public health messaging about vaccination is critical," said study co-author Kait...

For some children with autism, there's a connection between gastrointestinal problems and stress, anxiety and social withdrawal, a new study suggests.

The findings could help efforts to develop personalized treatments for autism patients with gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain and constipation, the University of Missouri researchers suggested.

Such problems tend to occur...

Bella Kofner, a 24-year-old graduate student in special education at the College of Staten Island in New York, was 10 when her parents first told her she had autism. Developmental psychologist Steven Kapp, now 35, was 13 when he was told the same.

So, is there a best time to tell children they have the developmental disorder? New research suggests that younger is better.

Kofner, Kap...

Researchers report that overgrowth of a part of the brain that's associated with autism occurs during infancy, a finding that may make it possible to diagnose the disorder at an earlier age.

The amygdala is a small structure in the brain that's crucial in interpreting social and emotional cl...

Researchers have discovered differences between the brains of girls and boys with autism that they say may improve diagnosis of the developmental disorder in girls.

"We detected significant differences between the brains of boys a...

Young people with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher risk of dying early from a range of causes, a new research review suggests.

Researchers found that before middle-age, people with autism face higher-than-average rates of death from both "natural" causes, like heart disease, and "unnatural" ones, including accidents and suicide.

Meanwhile, unna...

A medication that acts on certain brain receptors can temporarily ease visual-processing problems in some adults with autism, a small study has found.

Researchers said it's far too early to know whether the drug, arbaclofen, could prove useful in managing those visual issues. But the findings do give in...

That sing-song speech parents use when talking to their babies is universal, and infants tend to prefer it.

So, when a baby doesn't seem to engage with this melodic "motherese," or baby talk, it can be an early sign of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Researchers at the University of California, S...

Having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make communication a challenge, and some of these children are also deaf, making social interactions even more daunting.

But new research suggests that cochlear implants can go a long way toward helping these kids understand speech and connect with others.

A long-term survey that followed 30 children who had