TOPIC

Autism spectrum research

Everything we have read on autism spectrum. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,764 PAPERS · PAGE 52 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2025Elevated autistic features in Parkinson's disease and other motor disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic traits were elevated in both Parkinson's and other motor disorders compared to controls. The difference was specific to males; females showed no group differences. This suggests a broad link between motor conditions and autistic features, not one unique to Parkinson's.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Challenging neurotypical norms: Autistic adults' understandings of health.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults and their emergency contacts defined health similarly, focusing on subjective well-being and the absence of pain. Emergency contacts often perceived differences in health understanding that were not present in the interviews.
• PTSLPCohort2025Development of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Young Infants With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Preterm Birth, and Typical Development.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchInfants born preterm showed lower heart rate variability in the first 6 months, but this difference vanished when age was corrected for prematurity. Infants later diagnosed with autism showed higher variability from 9 to 24 months. These physiological differences were not explained by cognitive or language skills.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025A longitudinal evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism reported gastrointestinal symptoms twice as often as typically developing peers, and these symptoms often persisted across childhood. The presence and number of these unexplained symptoms were linked to worse sleep, anxiety, and social communication scores.
• SLPNarrative Review2025A Frank Assessment of SHANK: Impacts of Pathogenic Variations in SHANK3 on Preclinical Models of Phelan McDermid Syndrome.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchSHANK3 mouse models show social, vocalization, repetitive, anxiety-like, motor and brain changes linked to Phelan McDermid Syndrome. No human therapy outcomes are reported.
• SLPOther2025How do parents scaffold their autistic children's bilingual language interactions in everyday settings?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn five Spanish-English homes, mothers used more complex Spanish and mixed-language talk, and children produced longer utterances, more words, varied vocabulary, and talk about non-present events.
• SLPOther2026Socially oriented attention in young children with neurofibromatosis type 1: An eye-tracking study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyYoung children with NF1 were slower to look at people and objects of social interest than their peers. They missed early joint attention cues but caught up if given more time. Delayed attention was linked to higher autistic traits and poorer social functioning.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Influences on suicidality and suicide-prevention needs for the autistic community: Qualitative insights from multiple perspectives.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParticipants linked autistic suicidality to societal stigma, masking, and unmet daily needs rather than autism itself. They recommended neurodiversity-affirming care, sensory supports, and addressing co-occurring conditions over standard talk therapy or social skills training.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Experiences of self-harm, suicidal ideation and mental health care among autistic youth.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic young people seeking help for self-harm or suicide described care that missed sensory and communication needs. They wanted written or nonverbal options, fewer social demands, and safety plans that reflected their real supports.
• PTOTSLPPilot2026Expressive language and social communication abilities in children with spinal muscular atrophy type 1.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with later-onset SMA type 1 said far more words than those with early onset. Four of 37 screened positive for autism traits, but many parents could not answer questions because motor impairments blocked the behaviours the test asks about.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Examining Neurodiversity in Bilingual Development Research: Recent Insights Through an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Lens.International journal of language & communication disordersMost studies of bilingual neurodivergent children used tools made for monolingual children, and many tested only one language. This can make bilingual abilities look impaired when the problem is the measurement.
• OTSLPOther2026Nor weak ties, nor strong ties: Personal support networks and relations between autistic peers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceTwenty-one of 31 participants had autistic peers in their networks, but only two named them among their five closest daily supports. Peers were still important for crisis advice and autism-related support.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Contextual factors influencing neuro-affirming practice: Identifying what helps or hinders implementation in health and social care.Autism : the international journal of research and practicePractitioners identified rigid eligibility thresholds and single-condition pathways as key barriers to neuro-affirming care. Transdiagnostic approaches and stable, locally funded multidisciplinary teams were seen as essential enablers. Staff with lived experience improved confidence, but recruitment shortages and short-term third-sector funding hindered consistent support delivery.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Occurrence and overlap of physical and mental health conditions in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported significantly more mental and physical health conditions than non-autistic adults, with mood disorders affecting 44% of the autistic group. Physical health quality of life was lower. The study found no single bridge condition; instead, multiple connections existed between mental and physical health clusters.
• OTSLPCohort2025Differences in the Social Experiences of Autistic and Non-Autistic Adolescents by Gender.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic boys reported feeling less socially supported than their non-autistic peers, while autistic girls reported feeling more socially alienated than everyone else. Both autistic groups had fewer close friends and spent less time with them, but their subjective experiences of friendship differed by gender.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2026Impact of peer-support programs for individuals with autism: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic participants in peer-support programs consistently described feeling understood, empowered, and less alone. However, no study used a control group, so these improvements cannot be separated from time or natural development. The evidence is promising but not proven.
• SLPCohort2025Lower Cortical Activation and Altered Functional Connectivity Characterize Passive Auditory Spatial Attention in ASD.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with ASD showed lower brain activation and different connectivity patterns when hearing sounds change location, even while ignoring them. These neural differences correlated with autism severity and auditory sensory symptoms, suggesting distinct processing of spatial audio cues.
• SLPCohort2025Caregiver Perspectives on the Use of Tele-Assessment for Toddlers with Developmental Concerns.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregivers were highly satisfied with remote diagnostic assessments for toddlers, regardless of the result. Even families who received unexpected diagnoses reported similar satisfaction to those whose concerns were confirmed. Remote assessments appear acceptable and feasible for community screening.
• SLPQualitative2025'It feels like a blessing' - The experience of Hebrew-English bilingualism among autistic children: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children in this study described Hebrew-English bilingualism as a source of pride, social connection, and religious meaning. They disliked being told to speak only one language, with one child reporting distress after being barred from Hebrew classes.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Latent trajectories in autistic individuals: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic development is not uniform. Most individuals show stable core traits, but repetitive behaviors often worsen while adaptive skills improve. Baseline cognition predicts these paths. Regularly assess multiple domains over time rather than assuming a single fixed trajectory.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in Australian First Nations infants: The transdiagnostic utility of early screening tools.Developmental medicine and child neurologyA combined trajectory of early movement scores (MOS-R) and neurological exams (HINE) predicted neurodevelopmental delays and autism at 12 months with 74% accuracy. This transdiagnostic utility allows therapists to identify high-risk First Nations infants earlier, even before a formal diagnosis is confirmed.
• SLPOther2026The effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and experiences of interventions to reduce suicidality for autistic people: A scoping review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceResearch on reducing suicidality in autistic people is in its early stages. Interventions like safety planning and adapted therapies are being developed, but there are too few completed trials to determine if they work or are cost-effective.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Examining Transdiagnostic Patterns of Motor Differences: Preliminary Findings From the Consortium for Motor Behavior in Neurodivergence (COMBINE).Journal of autism and developmental disordersAcross 262 children with autism, ADHD, DCD or CAS, 77% scored in the clinical range for motor impairment. DCD predicted lower total scores, while ADHD predicted higher total and balance scores. Autistic children had lower aiming and catching scores, and girls had lower aiming scores.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2025Autistic traits are associated with lower perceived executive function but not poorer executive function task performance in the general population: complementary meta-analytic evidence.Molecular autismPeople with more autistic traits report worse executive function on questionnaires, but their actual performance on cognitive tasks is not impaired. This gap suggests the difficulty lies in how they perceive their own abilities, not in the abilities themselves.
• SLPPilot2025Detecting change in a caregiver-mediated autism intervention using the Joint Engagement Rating Inventory.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsA brief caregiver coaching programme showed no significant overall change in joint engagement scores. While two specific child language measures improved, most caregiver and dyadic interaction ratings remained unchanged.
• OTSLPCase-Control2025Associations Between Altered Auditory EEG Markers and Clinical Impairments in Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn 41 people with fragile X syndrome and 46 controls, brain responses to repeated and changing sounds differed, and some differences tracked cognitive, autistic, daily living and ADHD symptoms. No treatment was tested.
• SLPOther2025Parental Insightfulness and Its Association With Social Competence in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchParents of autistic children showed less focus, less acceptance, and more concern when reflecting on their child with a peer, while self-reported insightfulness in the parent-child relationship did not differ. Higher parent insightfulness was linked to smaller gaps on some social competence measures.
• SLPOther2025Genotype-phenotype correlations with autism spectrum disorder-related traits in noonan syndrome and noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines: a cross-sectional study.Molecular autismChildren with Noonan syndrome or NSML with PTPN11 or SOS1 variants showed more parent-reported autism-related social and repetitive traits, anxiety, attention and somatic complaints than typical peers. RAF1 variants looked least different.
• SLPOther2025Comparing three algorithms of automated facial expression analysis in autistic children: different sensitivities but consistent proportions.Molecular autismAutomated software found no difference in how often autistic and non-autistic children made facial expressions during 45-minute assessments. However, the three algorithms disagreed significantly on detection rates, meaning current tools are not yet reliable for clinical measurement.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Transition From Children's to Adults' Healthcare for Youth With (Genetic) Intellectual Disabilities: An ERN-ITHACA Guideline.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRTransition planning for young people with intellectual disabilities should start at 13 or 14 years and use a named worker to coordinate care. These are expert recommendations, not evidence that they work.
• SLPQualitative2026Autistic adults' experiences of cognitive-behavioural group therapy for social anxiety: Relational experiences of participation.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults described the group setting as the primary source of value. Connecting with peers reduced isolation and allowed them to lower their guard. However, many found it difficult to transfer skills learned in the safe group environment to unpredictable real-world social situations.
• SLPCase-Control2025Specific Association Patterns Between Brain Glutathione Levels, Myelination, and Functional Connectivity in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAdults with autism had higher glutathione in the left temporoparietal junction than controls, and this linked to frontal myelin and connectivity patterns tied to emotion recognition. The work describes brain associations, not a treatment effect.
• SLPOther2025Brief Report: Differences Between Stanford-Binet Abbreviated and Full-Scale Estimates of IQ in Fragile X Syndrome Vary Across Development.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor people with fragile X syndrome, the abbreviated Stanford-Binet IQ test is unreliable. It over-estimates ability in children under 11.5 and under-estimates it in older individuals, especially when verbal and nonverbal scores differ by more than 5.5 points or IQ is below 68.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Interventions supporting the empowerment of parent carers of children with neurodisability and other long-term health conditions: A scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost interventions for parent carers target the carer's own behaviour, not the health system. Few involve carers in design or report implementation details. Clinicians should look for existing programmes rather than creating new ones, but beware of poor descriptions.
• OTSLPSurvey2026Cultural influences on camouflaging and autistic burnout: Examining the experiences of Latino autistic young adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn 56 Latino autistic young adults, higher camouflaging was associated with higher adaptive functioning scores but also higher depression and anxiety symptoms. Autistic burnout did not significantly predict most outcomes.
• SLPCase Series2025Age-related differences in axon pruning and myelination may alter neural signaling in autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismPostmortem brain analysis found that in autism, small axons remain abundant in temporal lobe white matter while myelin on large axons fails to thicken with age. This structural difference was seen in superficial layers but not deep layers.
• SLPOther2025Autism spectrum disorder: communicative profile before and after remote family guidance.CoDASAfter remote caregiver guidance, children already receiving speech-language therapy showed more communication attempts, ways of communicating and conversational space; children without therapy showed more attempts only. Guidance was added to therapy, so its separate effect is unclear.
• SLPCohort2025Longitudinal Analyses of Early Verb Production in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism showed slower early growth in different verbs than typically developing peers, but only because some had stable low verb use; excluding them removed the group difference. Early growth in different verbs tracked later language scores; early noun growth did not.
• SLPSurvey2025Occurrence of eating difficulties in children self-reported by parents.CoDASParents reported feeding difficulties in 26% of Brazilian children aged 6 months to 6 years 11 months. Severe difficulty was associated with comorbidities, including autism, and with family income up to one minimum wage.
• SLPOther2026Increased prosocial value orientation in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults made more prosocial money choices toward socially distant others than non-autistic adults. The difference was not explained by repetitive responding or money attitudes.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Are we getting better at identifying and diagnosing neurodivergent girls and women? Insights into sex ratios and age of diagnosis from clinical population data in Scotland.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutism and ADHD sex ratios in Scotland have balanced since 2014, with more females diagnosed in adults. However, girls are still referred and diagnosed years later than boys. The delay begins before referral, suggesting parents and schools are missing early signs in females.
• SLPCase-Control2025Proximity of Maternal Time of Immigration to Child's Birth Is Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorder With Early Learning Delay Among Immigrant Populations in the United States: Findings From the Study to Explore Early Development.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFor US-born children of a non-US-born mother, each year between arrival and birth was linked with lower odds of ASD with early learning delay and early learning delay alone, but not ASD alone.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Exome sequencing in severe non-syndromic specific learning and language disorders in a French cohort.Molecular autismExome sequencing found a genetic diagnosis in 11 of 82 children with severe learning disorders. It also flagged 38 uncertain variants. No patient profile predicted who would get a diagnosis, and the study was too small to confirm if sequencing beats standard chromosome testing.
• SLPOther2025Child-Parent Interaction Quality Shows Opposite Relationships with Language Comprehension Skill and Autism Symptomatology.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn autistic children, better reading comprehension linked to stronger parent-child interaction quality. Decoding skills showed the opposite link across all children. These are correlations, not proof that one causes the other, and the small sample means results are tentative.
• SLPCohort2026Behavioural phenotypes of autism in autistic and nonautistic gender clinic-referred youth and their caregivers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic gender clinic-referred youth show the same autism traits as autistic cisgender peers, and their caregivers show the same elevated autism rates. Only one observation measure found fewer repetitive behaviours in the gender-referred group. Treat autism features in gender-diverse youth as genuine.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mismatch Negativity in Autism: Insights Into Predictive Mechanisms.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic children showed smaller brain responses to unexpected sounds than peers, while autistic adults showed larger responses. Differences were most consistent for speech sounds, suggesting auditory processing changes with development rather than a fixed deficit.
• SLPCohort2025Autistic Individuals' Categorical Induction Abilities Improve by Mid-Adolescence.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAfter accounting for expressive language, autistic teenagers and typically developing teenagers performed similarly on category reasoning. In the longitudinal subset, both groups improved over time. Expressive language was closely linked to performance.
• OTSLPPilot2026The Schools Unified in Neurodiversity Collaborative: Co-designing a program to enhance educator knowledge and efficacy supporting children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn one U.S. district, 192 educators reported higher neurodiversity knowledge and confidence after a 6-hour co-designed training. They also found the tools feasible. No child outcomes were measured.
• SLPCase Report2025Comparison of gesture-vocal synchrony and gestures of two children aged 3 to 26 months with and without autism spectrum disorder.CoDASIn two infants, the child with autism showed lower gesture-speech synchrony, reduced eye contact, and more discomfort than the neurotypical child. Their gestures were similar in type but differed in frequency and quality. This describes two cases, not a treatment effect.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2025Autism and the Menopause Transition: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Autism in adulthoodAutistic people assigned female at birth described menopause as harder to understand and manage, with sensory overload, fatigue, sleep problems, thinking and memory changes, and work strain. Online peer support helped, while healthcare often felt dismissive or unsafe.