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• Published: 28 May 2021

Advances in autism research, 2021: continuing to decipher the secrets of autism

• Julio Licinio   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6905-5884 1 &
• Ma-Li Wong 1  

Molecular Psychiatry volume  26 ,  pages 1426–1428 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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• Autism spectrum disorders
• Neuroscience

We are proud to publish this Special Issue focused on autism, a topic that has been exceedingly important for Molecular Psychiatry since our inception. It is not too bold a statement to say that we were a fundamental contributor to bringing autism to the forefront of the national discourse. A Pubmed search reveals 403 articles published in Molecular Psychiatry since our founding in 1996. Our first autism article by Vincent et al., published in July 1996, examined the fragile X syndrome gene (FMR1) for mutations in autistic individuals, using single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis; those authors identified three new FMR1 polymorphisms and identified specific and significant association findings with autism [ 1 ].

In late 2001–early 2002 we received four exciting papers with findings on the genetics of autism that were published together in our March 2002 issue, with an accompanying editorial [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. We issued then a press release that was picked up by Time magazine and served as the basis for their unprecedented May 6, 2002 cover story on autism, featuring as that iconic magazine’s cover a young boy who was visibly autistic [ 7 ]. That was the first time that a person with autism was the cover of a national magazine. The magazine’s cover displayed in big yellow letters “Inside the world of autism” and it had a subtitle stating “More than one million Americans may have it, and the number of new cases is exploding. What scientists have discovered. What families should know.” The full story, by Nash [ 8 ], was entitled: “The Secrets of Autism,” with the following subtitle: “The number of children diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s in the U.S. is exploding. Why?” Time ’s cover article was so successful that their editors expanded that from a single issue into an entire series on autism over multiple issues. That Time series effectively made autism emerge as a mainstream topic of kitchen table conversations across America. As that effort was triggered by our press release and four articles on autism, it is reasonable to boast that Molecular Psychiatry launched the national conversation on autism.

The four papers highlighted in our March 2002 issue were within the first 20 articles that we published on this topic. Now, 383 papers later, we have a much more substantial body of work that further unravels the secrets of autism, the culmination of which is this autism Special Issue, with 26 truly superb papers on autism [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. These extraordinary articles cover essentially all aspects of this disorder, from the training of specialists, to the interface with other disorders, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, and in-depth analyses of genetics, structural and functional imaging, as well as neuroscience, including postmortem brain studies, transcriptome of induced pluripotent stem cell models, assessments of the role of vitamin D, and studies highlighting the contributions of inflammatory mediators to autism.

We have had for over three decades a particular interest on the interface of immune mediators and psychiatric disorders [ 35 ]. It is very rewarding to see the interface of immune mediators and psychiatry evolve from a hypothesis, that we and others explored decades ago, into a broad and established area within psychiatric neuroscience. As we have developed a new model of analysis of the simultaneous contributions of multiple genes and environmental factors to a psychiatric phenotype [ 36 ], were also encouraged to see studies looking at the polygenic risk for autism in the context of childhood trauma, life-time self-harm, and suicidal behavior and ideation [ 30 ], as well in comparison to several other psychiatric disorders [ 32 ].

One paper in this issue, by Frye et al., is highly usual, and particularly intriguing: it investigates the role of the mitochondrion, in the influence of prenatal air pollution exposure on neurodevelopment and behavior in 96 children with autism spectrum disorder [ 22 ]. Second and third trimester average and maximal daily exposure to fine air particulate matter of diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) was obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. Mediation analysis found that mitochondrial respiration linked to energy production accounted for 25% and 10% of the effect of average prenatal PM 2.5 exposure on neurodevelopment and behavioral symptoms, respectively. Those results suggest that prenatal exposure to PM 2.5 disrupts neurodevelopment and behavior through complex mechanisms, including long-term changes in mitochondrial respiration and that patterns of early development need to be considered when studying the influence of environmental agents on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

We are honored to have initiated the national conversation on autism twenty years ago and we believe that the 403 autism papers published to date in Molecular Psychiatry , including, but not limited to those highlighted in this Special Issue, report major advances in a key area of molecular psychiatry. It is particularly rewarding to see that these articles cover the full spectrum of research translation [ 37 ], from molecules to society.

In future issues, Molecular Psychiatry will continue to publish outstanding advances in autism research.

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Time Magazine. Inside the world of autism. More than one million Americans may have it, and the number of new cases is exploding. What scientists have discovered. What families should know. Time. 2002. http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20020506,00.html .

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Pasca SP, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, McPartland JC. Research and training in autism spectrum disorder to catalyze the next genomic and neuroscience revolutions. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0830-5 . [Epub ahead of print].

Lombardo MV. Ribosomal protein genes in post-mortem cortical tissue and iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells are commonly upregulated in expression in autism. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0773-x . [Epub ahead of print].

Griesi-Oliveira K, Passos-Bueno MR. Reply to Lombardo, 2020: An additional route of investigation: what are the mechanisms controlling ribosomal protein genes dysregulation in autistic neuronal cells? Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0792-7 . [Epub ahead of print].

Menon V, Andrade C, Thennarasu K. Polycystic ovarian syndrome and autism spectrum disorder in the offspring: Should the primary outcome have been different? Mol Psychiatry. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0571-5 . [Epub ahead of print].

Chapman R, Veit W. The essence of autism: fact or artefact? Mol Psychiatry 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00959-1 . [Epub ahead of print].

Niesler B, Rappold GA. Emerging evidence for gene mutations driving both brain and gut dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0778-5 . [Epub ahead of print].

Antunes C, Da Silva JD, Guerra-Gomes S, Alves ND, Ferreira F, Loureiro-Campos E, et al. Tet3 ablation in adult brain neurons increases anxiety-like behavior and regulates cognitive function in mice. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0695-7 . [Epub ahead of print].

Xiong GJ, Cheng XT, Sun T, Xie Y, Huang N, Li S, et al. Defects in syntabulin-mediated synaptic cargo transport associate with autism-like synaptic dysfunction and social behavioral traits. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0713-9 .

Rapanelli M, Tan T, Wang W, Wang X, Wang ZJ, Zhong P, et al. Behavioral, circuitry, and molecular aberrations by region-specific deficiency of the high-risk autism gene Cul3. Mol Psychiatry. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0498-x . [Epub ahead of print].

Guo D, Peng Y, Wang L, Sun X, Wang X, Liang C, et al. Autism-like social deficit generated by Dock4 deficiency is rescued by restoration of Rac1 activity and NMDA receptor function. Mol Psychiatry. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0472-7 . [Epub ahead of print].

Gordon A, Forsingdal A, Klewe IV, Nielsen J, Didriksen M, Werge T, et al. Transcriptomic networks implicate neuronal energetic abnormalities in three mouse models harboring autism and schizophrenia-associated mutations. Mol Psychiatry. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0576-0 . [Epub ahead of print].

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Ramirez-Celis A, Becker M, Nuno M, Schauer J, Aghaeepour N, Van de Water J. Risk assessment analysis for maternal autoantibody-related autism (MAR-ASD): a subtype of autism. Mol Psychiatry. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00998-8 . [Epub ahead of print].

Frye RE, Cakir J, Rose S, Delhey L, Bennuri SC, Tippett M, et al. Prenatal air pollution influences neurodevelopment and behavior in autism spectrum disorder by modulating mitochondrial physiology. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00885-2 . [Epub ahead of print].

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Griesi-Oliveira K, Fogo MS, Pinto BGG, Alves AY, Suzuki AM, Morales AG, et al. Transcriptome of iPSC-derived neuronal cells reveals a module of co-expressed genes consistently associated with autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0669-9 . [Epub ahead of print].

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Licinio, J., Wong, ML. Advances in autism research, 2021: continuing to decipher the secrets of autism. Mol Psychiatry 26 , 1426–1428 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01168-0

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College of Education and Human Development

Department of Educational Psychology

Research topics: Autism

Identifying, preventing, and developing interventions related to autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Research in the Department of Educational Psychology focuses on early identification, prevention measures, and interventions related to ASD.

LeAnne Johnson

Johnson (special education) researches interventions to improve outcomes for a range of preschool and elementary school-aged children who are at high risk given social, emotional, behavioral, and communication needs. Johnson is focused on creating the next generation of intervention studies that support high fidelity implementation of evidence-based interventions within tiered intervention and prevention models. This includes research projects that are designed to test the efficacy of social-communication interventions for children with autism.

Jason Wolff

Wolff (special education) runs a lab funded funded in-part by the National Institute of Mental Health with two goals -- to leverage brain imaging data to characterize factors associated with the early emergence of behavioral excesses and deficits in autism spectrum disorder, and to identify potential neurodevelopmental moderators of response to early intervention. The ultimate goal of this work is to determine how brain and behavioral data may be used to inform the timing and content of early or even preventative interventions.

Panayiota Kendeou

Kendeou (psychological foundations of education) investigates how people learn new knowledge and revise pre-existing incorrect knowledge or misinformation during their reading experiences. She is currently investigating how misinformation that resists correction influences reasoning and decision making in health issues pertaining to ASD (e.g., reliance on ineffective treatments, withholding vaccinations), and explore ways for effective revision.

M.Y. Savana Bak

Bak's research focuses on measurement and analysis of language in children with ASD using language samples collected from the children’s natural environment. She strives to develop practical interventions and identify environmental factors that facilitate language development and increase social interaction in children with ASD.

Related degrees

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Interested in conducting research in autism spectrum disorder? Learn more about earning your doctorate in special education .

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Autism and Developmental Disorders Research Program

Welcome to the website of the  Autism and Developmental Disorders Research Program (ADDRP) , Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University.  This Stanford autism research program is based in the  Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences  at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

ADDRP focuses on improving the quality of life of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disabilities. Through research methods that range from clinical trials, neuroimaging investigations, behavioral analysis to basic science methods, the researchers at ADDRP are committed to developing effective treatment strategies and identifying the causes of these conditions.

Our main research aim is to better understand the basic neurobiology of autism and other developmental disorders while furthering our understanding of how genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the onset and progression of these disorders. With this aim in mind, we conduct a variety of research studies and clinical trials of novel behavioral and biological therapies in hopes of developing effective interventions for the treatment of core features of these disorders.

Acknowledgements

The Stanford Autism and Developmental Disorders Research Program would like to thank the children, as well as their parents and families, for contributing to research. The joint effort to better understand and provide therapies for developmental disorders is not possible without their past and continued involvement.

Stanford ADDRP would also like to ackowledge financial support from the following organizations:

• National Institutes of Health
• Autism Speaks
• Simons Foundation
• John and Marcia Goldman Foundation
• Stanford Bio-X
• Child Health Research Institute
• The Teresa and Charles Michael Endowed Fund for Autism Research and Education
• The Mosbacher Family Fund for Autism Research
• PTEN Research Foundation
• The Bernard/Fung Family Fund for Autism Research at Stanford

In the News

2/2/22  Stanford Team Finds Benefits to Online Autism Treatment

7/16/21  Program improves resilience for parents of kids with autism

8/6/19 Stanford Trial Shows Parents Can Learn Therapy to Help Their Children With Autism Learn to Speak

8/5/19 One therapy bests others at motivating kids with autism to speak

5/1/19  Hormone reduces social impairment in kids with autism

3/6/19  Nature versus nurture in autism

2/2/18: Mechanical forces being studied by Stanford researchers may underlie brain's development and some diseases

7/12/17: Oxytocin improves social abilities in some kids with autism

4/10/17: Autism researchers seek teens, young adults for drug trial

9/21/2016: The seekers: Why parents try fringe therapies for autism

8/16/2016:  Automating genetic analysis helps keep up with rapid discovery of new diseases

7/22/2015 : Low levels of hormone linked to social deficit in autism

10/27/2014 : Group classes teach parents effective autism therapy, study finds

8/4/2014 : Blood-oxytocin levels in normal range in children with autism, study finds

11/14/2013 : Stanford drug trial seeks participants with autism spectrum disorder

8/13/2012 : Stanford researchers investigate the emotional side of autism

5/29/2012 : Antioxidant Shows Promise as Treatment for Certain Features of Autism, Study Finds (reprinted in ScienceDaily)

Spring 2012 : Autism Answers - Parents run experiments to see what works

9/2/2011 : Spotting autism's unique shape in the brain

7/30/2011 : Autism Risks: Genes May Not Play Biggest Role

1/25/2010 : Stanford/Packard autism researchers seek twins for brain-imaging study  

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Autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers any one of a group of disorders with an onset typically occurring during the preschool years and characterized by difficulties with social communication and social interactionalong with restricted and repetitive patterns in behaviors, interests, and activities.

Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder are no longer considered distinct diagnoses, and medical or genetic disorders that may be associated with ASD, such as Rett’s syndrome, are identified only as specifiers of the disorder.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

Matthew Goodwin is improving the lives of people with autism

Scientist adapts wearable sensors to help predict certain behaviors and alert caregivers

Effective treatment for autistic adults

There are few, if any, support services for autistic people transitioning to adulthood.

How to navigate adulthood on the autism spectrum

A dearth of research on, and services for, autistic adults compounds social and emotional challenges.

How early detection could change autism diagnosis and intervention

Geraldine Dawson, PhD, discusses why autism diagnoses have risen in recent years and how research using artificial intelligence and brain biomarkers makes it possible to detect autism risk at younger ages

More resources about ASD

What APA is doing

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorder

APA’s Division 33 is dedicated to advancing psychological research, professional education, and clinical services that increase quality of life in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or autism spectrum disorder across the life course.

Play Therapy in Middle Childhood

Innovative Investigations of Language in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism and Your Teen

Behavioral Interventions in Schools, 2nd Ed.

Parent Training for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Magination Press children’s books

Russell's World

Asperger's Rules!

All My Stripes

How Are You, Verity?

Asperger's Teens

Journal special issues

Autism and Other Child Developmental Disorders

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

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• Signs and Symptoms
• Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism Materials and Resources
• Diagnosis ASD
• Information on ASD for Healthcare Providers
• Autism Acceptance Month Partner Toolkit

Related Topics:

• View All Home
• 2023 Community Report on Autism
• Autism Data Visualization Tool

Autism Spectrum Disorder Articles

At a glance.

Below is a list of recent scientific articles on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) generated from CDC programs and activities.

Key findings and scientific articles

Key findings.

These key findings provide brief summaries of some of CDC's latest ASD research.

Key Findings: ADDM Network Expands Surveillance to Identify Healthcare Needs and Transition Planning for Youth

Five of CDC's ADDM Network sites (Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Utah, and Wisconsin) began monitoring autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2018 among 16-year-old adolescents who were initially identified as having characteristics of ASD in 2010. (Published: February 25, 2023)

Key Findings: Study Shows Linking Statewide Data for ASD Prevalence is Effective

Linking statewide health and education data is an effective way for states to have actionable local ASD prevalence estimates when resources are limited. (Published: January 18, 2023)

Key Findings: CDC Releases First Estimates of the Number of Adults Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States

This study fills a gap in data on adults living with ASD in the United States because there is not an existing surveillance system to collect this information. (Published May 10, 2020)

CDC scientific articles

These articles are either from CDC-funded research or have at least one CDC author. These articles are listed by year of publication, with the most recent first.

• Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnostic Patterns, Co-occurring Conditions, and Transition Planning. Hughes MM, Shaw KA, Patrick ME, et al. J Adolesc Health. 2023;73(2):271-278.
• Statewide county-level autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates—seven U.S. states, 2018. Shaw KA, Williams S, Hughes MM, et al. Ann Epidemiol. 2023;79:39-43.
• The Prevalence and Characteristics of Children With Profound Autism, 15 Sites, United States, 2000-2016. Hughes MM, Shaw KA, DiRienzo M, et al. Public Health Rep. 2023;138(6):971-980.
• Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020. Maenner MJ, Warren Z, Williams AR, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2023;72(2):1-14. Published 2023 Mar 24. [ Easy-Read Summary ]
• Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 Years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020. Shaw KA, Bilder DA, McArthur D, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2023;72(1):1-15. Published 2023 Mar 24. [ Easy-Read Summary ]
• Social vulnerability and prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP). Patrick ME, Hughes MM, Ali A, Shaw KA, Maenner MJ. Ann Epidemiol. 2023;83:47-53.e1.
• Individualized Education Programs and Transition Planning for Adolescents With Autism. Hughes MM, Kirby AV, Davis J, et al. Pediatrics. 2023;152(1):e2022060199. [ Watch Video Abstract ]

" There is no epidemic of autism. It's an epidemic of need." ‎

Two authors provide their commentary on CDC's 2023 Community Report in an article published in ST A T News' First Opinion (March 2023).

Read the full article here.

• Toileting Resistance Among Preschool-Age Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Wiggins LD, Nadler C, Hepburn S, Rosenberg S, Reynolds A, Zubler J. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2022;43(4):216-223.
• Defining in Detail and Evaluating Reliability of DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Among Children Rice CE, Carpenter LA, Morrier MJ, et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022;52(12):5308-5320. [published correction appears in J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Jan 29;:].
• Reasons for participation in a child development study: Are cases with developmental diagnoses different from controls? Bradley CB, Tapia AL, DiGuiseppi CG, et al. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2022;36(3):435-445.
• Features that best define the heterogeneity and homogeneity of autism in preschool-age children: A multisite case–control analysis replicated across two independent samples. Wiggins LD, Tian LH, Rubenstein E, et al. Autism Res. 2022;15(3):539-550.
• Progress and Disparities in Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 2002–2016. Shaw KA, McArthur D, Hughes MM, et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;61(7):905-914.
• Peri-Pregnancy Cannabis Use and Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Offspring: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development. DiGuiseppi C, Crume T, Van Dyke J, et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022;52(11):5064-5071.
• Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorder Case-Finding Algorithms in United States Health Administrative Database Analyses. Grosse SD, Nichols P, Nyarko K, Maenner M, Danielson ML, Shea L. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022;52(9):4150-4163.
• Early identification of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 4 years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 sites, United States, 2018. Shaw KA, Maenner MJ, Bakian AV, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2021;70(10):1-14. Published 2021 Dec 3.
• Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2018. Maenner MJ, Shaw KA, Bakian AV, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2021;70(11):1-16. Published 2021 Dec 3.
• Comparison of 2 Case Definitions for Ascertaining the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among 8-Year-Old Children. Maenner MJ, Graves SJ, Peacock G, Honein MA, Boyle CA, Dietz PM. Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(10):2198-2207.
• Healthcare Costs of Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States, 2003–2015. Zuvekas SH, Grosse SD, Lavelle TA, Maenner MJ, Dietz P, Ji X. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021;51(8):2950-2958.
• Association between pica and gastrointestinal symptoms in preschoolers with and without autism spectrum disorder: Study to Explore Early Development. Fields VL, Soke GN, Reynolds A, et al. Disabil Health J. 2021;14(3):101052.
• Health Status and Health Care Use Among Adolescents Identified With and Without Autism in Early Childhood—Four US Sites, 2018–2020. Powell PS, Pazol K, Wiggins LD, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(17):605-611. Published 2021 Apr 30.
• Evaluation of sex differences in preschool children with and without autism spectrum disorder enrolled in the study to explore early development. Wiggins LD, Rubenstein E, Windham G, et al. Res Dev Disabil. 2021;112:103897.
• A Distinct Three-Factor Structure of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in an Epidemiologically Sound Sample of Preschool-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Hiruma L, Pretzel RE, Tapia AL, et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021;51(10):3456-3468.
• Spending on Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Employer-Sponsored Plans, 2011–2017 Grosse SD, Ji X, Nichols P, Zuvekas SH, Rice CE, Yeargin-Allsopp M. Psychiatr Serv. 2021;72(1):16-22. [published correction appears in Psychiatr Serv. 2021 Jan 1;72(1):97].
• A Preliminary Epidemiology Study of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder Relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disability Without Social Communication Deficits. Ellis Weismer S, Rubenstein E, Wiggins L, Durkin MS. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021;51(8):2686-2696.
• CE: From the CDC: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder. Christensen D, Zubler J. Am J Nurs. 2020;120(10):30-37.
• Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aaged 4 Years—Early Autism and Developmental Disability Monitoring Network, Six Sites, United States, 2016. Shaw KA, Maenner MJ, Baio J, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2020;69(3):1-11. Published 2020 Mar 27.
• Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2016. Maenner MJ, Shaw KA, Baio J, et al. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2020;69(4):1-12. Published 2020 Mar 27. [published correction appears in MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Apr 24;69(16):503].
• Disparities in Documented Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Demographic, Individual, and Service Factors. Wiggins LD, Durkin M, Esler A, et al. Autism Res. 2020;13(3):464-473.

SEED Research

Researchers working on CDC's Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) have published many studies reporting on important findings related to ASD.

For more information on the methods and descriptions of the SEED study sample, SEED publications, and the evaluation of clinical and laboratory methods using SEED data, click the link below.

Featured Article | Summer 2023

Cdc seed study explores prenatal ultrasound use and risk of autism spectrum disorder.

Prenatal ultrasound use and risk of autism spectrum disorder: Findings from the case-control Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). Christensen D, Pazol K, Overwyk KJ, et al. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2023;37(6):527-535.

Study findings‎

Many additional studies are underway. We will provide summaries of those studies in the future.

All articles

Search CDC Stacks for articles that have been published by CDC authors within the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities from 1990 to present.

Feature articles and an Easy-Read Summary

Higher Autism Prevalence and COVID-19 Disruptions

Past, Present, and Future Impact of SEED

Easy-Read Summary

Autism among 4-year-old and 8-year-old Children: An Easy-Read Summary

Additional resources

Why Act Early if You’re Concerned about Development?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. CDC is committed to continuing to provide essential data on ASD and develop resources that help identify children with ASD as early as possible.

For Everyone

Health care providers, public health.

165 Autism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Struggle with writing a research paper topics on autism? We’ve got your back covered! Below, you will find a list of 147 topics about autism as well as autism research paper examples!

🏆 Best Research Autism Topics & Essay Examples

👍 good autism essay topics, 💡 psychology research autism topics to write about, ⭐ simple & easy autism essay titles, ❓ research questions about autism.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Autism is a serious disorder that has the potential to disrupt the success of people living with it. This is to mean that the theory of causation regarding autism is not complete as yet.
• Analysis of Children Autism in “The Black Balloon” It is imperative to note that Charlie’s emotions are not regulated and as such, manifest in immature behaviors such as flapping of his hands.
• Exploring Autism in the Drama Film Rain Man Charlie Babbitt, the brother to Raymond, is the actor who portrays Raymond’s autism on the way to Los Angeles to secure his fair share in the Babbitt’s $3 million fortunes in form of inheritance.
• Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism The primary subject of this study is applied behavior analysis while the secondary subject is applied behavior analysis and its effects on autism in children.
• The Development of Autism Analysis The paper will disclose the interviews of this famous and significant person whom managed to give all her efforts to the development of autism charitable programs and contribute to autism support all over the world. […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Interventions However, the negative side of it is that such an intervention is limited to those patients who are verbal and have limited vocabulary.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Its Impact on the Family Manning, Wainwright and Bennet argue that children with autism are faced with a big challenge because of the nature of the symptoms the disorder.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Relation to Education Attending to students having ASD in the regular classrooms requires specialized teachers and supplementary staff in order to aid in the realization of the needs of the students having ASD.
• Critical Analysis of Published Articles: Autism It was therefore the goal of the research to find out if the negative attitude of people towards autistic children can be altered to the benefit of the parents.
• How Christopher’s Autism Affect His Life In spite of the fact that the issue of autism is not clearly explained in the story, the condition of the narrator is referred to as high-functioning autism or Aspersers Syndrome on the cover of […]
• Impact of Autism Disorder on Adolescents This essay discusses the impact of autism disorder on adolescents in the community and a nursing intervention that can be used to assist adolescents in becoming prominent society members.
• Progression of Reading Ability in a Child Diagnosed With Autism The battery of assessments and interviews with parents on the participant’s socialization and early reading ability indicates the study applied the Psychometric and Social Contextual approaches.
• Analysis of Behavior of Preschool Age Child With Autism The child’s behavior in the video differs from that of a mentally healthy child, and these differences lie in the child’s other emotional state and degree of interest in talking to people.
• Autism and Disability Advocacy People with autism can contribute to the diversity of disability culture by expanding understanding of what disability is and how it can be accepted.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis According to DSM-5, to fit the diagnostic criteria for ASD, a child must have evident deficits in three major areas of social communication as well as 2 out of the 4 restricted or repetitive behaviors.
• Thinking in Pictures: Autism and Sensory Problems The chapter “The Squeeze Machine: Sensory Problems in Autism” in Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures presents a series of life perspectives of various individuals, including her own, regarding the sensory problems they experienced. They postulated that […]
• Therapeutic Programs for Children With Autism in K-12 Institutions In the paper, the gaps in the research of effective treatments for children with ASD are explored, after which the efficacy of a multi-system aquatic therapy and standardized equine-assisted therapy program is argued.
• Societal Issue Research Project: Autism Spectrum Disorder The first factor is the significant risk that the genetics of siblings who had ASD diagnosis will increase the chance of the disorder.
• Child-Centered Play Therapy and Autism The purpose of the discussed research was to investigate the effects of CCPT on the sample of children with autism, establishing and describing the connection between CCPT and social and emotional growth.
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Training Program for Caregivers The latter means that many caregivers take care of children with ASD, hence the importance of equipping them with the necessary skills for effective and smooth parenting and coping with various difficulties.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder’s Impact on Child’s Learning In regards to the public-school setting, standardized testing demands youngsters to grasp and react to spoken as well as written communication at an anticipated pace and level.
• Laboratory Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders The purpose of my study is to discover which of these methods is more accurate, with the reason being the importance of early diagnosis of ASD, which leads to better treatment outcomes.
• Autism and Related Cognitive Concepts It has been suggested that children with autism show a general deficit of cognitive skills in multilevel planning and in the regulation of behavior.
• Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder In fact, bullying as a social phenomenon can be characterized as a social and interaction issue; therefore, it is possible to analyze the connection between autism and acts of bullying and inappropriate behavior.
• Face Emotion Recognition in Autism Phenotype One critical aspect of social communication is the capability to apprehend the emotions and intentions of another person. In conclusion, Autism Spectrum Disorder makes the interpretation of facial expressions difficult.
• How Does Having a Child With Autism Affects Parents’ Lifestyle? The creation of a system of psychological, pedagogical and social support can reduce the risk of a complete family life dedication to a child with autism.
• Misrepresentation of Autism in the ‘Music’ Film While the film was not centered on the topic of autism as its message, the stereotype-heavy portrayal and a lack of research make it a harmful piece of media.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence and Impact in Society It has therefore been impossible to determine the level of increase in autism cases that is as a result of improved diagnostic measures and that which can be attributed to the real increase in autism […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnosis, Impact, Treatment The main diagnostic element for ASD is the evidence of difficulties, either in the present or past, which are different across the age groups.
• Autism and Vaccination Refusal Management Among Somalian Parents Somalian parents in their community in Minnesota refuse from their children being vaccinated, as they believe that vaccination causes autism.
• Everyone Has the Power to Effect Positive Change Within the Autism Community This paper presents what is autism, how every one reacts to the problem, what is the difference between the rich and the poor in their response towards the problem.”Autism is one of five developmental disorders […]
• Reducing Off-Task Behaviors Using a Token Economy System in Children With Autism Token economy is a strategy of positive reinforcement that can be provided to children in the form of tokens for completing the assigned tasks.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Key Points The requirement to meet these needs is supported by the fact that the rate of students with ASD is high: according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than 83 per cent of […]
• “Theoretical Aspects of Autism” by Helen Ratajczak On the whole, it is possible to say that the standards set by Austin Hill cannot be always met, in part because the physiological aspects of this disease have not been fully investigated.
• Dr. Temple Grandin’s Argument on Visual Thinking and Autism A more in-depth analysis of visual activities can reveal the all imagery can be mentally processed and modified by children so that images are rotated and analyzed to make the brain map expand.
• Intellectual Disability: Autism In their adulthood, and because of the communication issues that most individuals with autism tend to have, they will naturally have difficulty in finding and keeping jobs.
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Children With Autism On the positive side, it fastens the production of different types of reactive oxygen used in the body. It is arguable that the size of the samples used in the study was small.
• Occupational Therapy for Children With Autism The main reason for the appearance of autism is the disturbance of the development of the patients brain which results in the appearance of various symptoms.
• The Mitochondria and Autism – Results and Main Function The results are important in health because children with autism were more probable to have dysfunctions and abnormalities of the mitochondria such as over replication and deletion of mitochondrial DNA compared to those without the […]
• Autism Etiology, Symptoms, Beliefs, and Management To date, debate on the cause or etiology of autism still remains divided, with extant literature demonstrating that “although many hypotheses have been proposed, a singular or specific combination of causes has yet to be […]
• Quantitative Assessment of Neuromotor Function in Adolescents With High Functioning Autism: Critique The study authors did not give the benefits and/or risks associated with the study participation. The authors indicated that the ZNA was appropriate for collecting the data because it could measure the 11 parameters of […]
• Critical Appraisal on the Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders on the Family: A Qualitative Study of Mothers’ Perspectives The study researchers established the significance of the study by outlining the social and financial implications of taking care of children with ASD.
• Autism: External Forces, Causes and Treatment The increasing prevalence of Autism in the United States and across the world is attracting great attention from the healthcare sector to design critical programs tailored to stem the disorder in terms of prevention, treatment, […]
• The Importance of Services for Children With Autism The plea of the majority of Americans for the reverse of healthcare budget allocation is well because it is wrong to interfere with services offered to children with autism. With childcare initiative in place, the […]
• Autism: General Information and Treatment She argues that the treatment of autism is through scientific proven medication that aids in controlling aggressive behaviors and that Trisperidone is the commonly used antipsychotic.
• The Issue of Autism: Task-Group Project The role of B.N.in the meeting can be seen as a summarizer, providing a summary of the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Concepts of Autism and Williams Syndrome The disorder manifests itself in the early years of a child’s life, with long-lasting effects that are not curable but controllable and easy to deal with on condition that, the concerned parties take the necessary […]
• Autism Programs to Enhance Students’ Outcomes In addition to social and behavioral challenges, ASD typically hinders a learner’s ability to gain and process the necessary academic information.
• Autism Program’s Impact Across Contexts In other words, a detailed overview of the issues that administrators face when designing the program and which the teachers have to deal with when addressing the needs of children with autism must be carried […]
• “Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family’s Triumph Over Autism” by Catherine Maurice The book was published in 1994, and it was a success as parents of autistic children were waiting for someone to prove that autism was not an incurable disorder.
• Autism: Teaching Plan for Taking All the Features Into Account For the first child, caregiver training was done at child’s bedroom, and for the second child it was done at living room, and for the third child with severe mental retardation it was carried out […]
• Education Considerations for Students With Autism Two articles under consideration consider the opposite views regarding the education of students with autism; on the basis of the information obtained from these articles, it can be stated that none of the perspectives is […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnostic Procedure In general, this journal is very interesting and it is an important contribution to the development of appropriate screening and identification procedures for children with ASD.
• Developmental Psychology: Autism and Vaccination Vaccination of infants is widely used today as the pattern of endemic diseases can be explained in terms of interplay of social, physical and biological factors in an area that is conducive to a continuous […]
• Social Work Methods to Treat the Child Who Is Suffering From Autism This is a clear indicator that alcohol intake by the family is costing the members and it is an issue that needs to be looked into.
• Proposal for the Organization of the Concert in Autism Support The paper will be focused on the organizational aspects of the autism support concert and the people to be invited to this meeting attendance.
• Autism and Immunization: Vaccines and the Changing Epidemiology The interest and attention invoked by this paper were largely due to the fact that it appeared to provide a biological means through which MMR vaccine resulted in autism.
• The Autism-Vaccine Debate, Arguments, and Research Autism is defined by the Autism Society of America as ” a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first 3 years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects […]
• Autism. Child and Family Assessment The other common disorder associated with autism is that of mutism whereby it also lies under the category of speech disorder and in many cases it is difficult to be diagnosed and at the same […]
• Autism and False Belief in Psychology The theories are found to be covering the deficits of an individuals’ mind and factors relating to autism, research further indicates that a child’s behavior may be influenced by the executive functions this, therefore, brings […]
• Autism: Methods of Diagnosing and Treatment Analysis A malfunction in the neural circuitry of the brain of those with autism is the likely cause of their perceptions regarding social interaction and lack of adequate cognitive abilities.
• Autism: Symptoms, Forms, Diagnostic Instruments Autism is basically a developmental disorder of the human brain that its first symptoms are initially manifested in infancy and it follows a steady cause without relapse.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Features in Children One of the causes for the appearance of these issues is an inborn disability that might presuppose the need for specific methods to educate a child and guarantee a chance for integration with society.
• Autism Occurrence by Measles Vaccine Status The organization of information in the text follows a logical format by introducing the background for the vaccine, incorporating the issue of ASD connection, and leading up to the primary research question.
• Parental Report of Vaccine Receipt in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In the introduction, which is the first section, the study’s research problems and their significance to nursing are stated. The discussion section covers how the authors relate the findings to the research objective and the […]
• Teenagers With Autism Disorder Autism is seen as a spectrum disorder since its severity and symptoms vary greatly among affected individuals – from mild and occasional to persistent and interfering with all aspects of life.
• Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders on Life However, between the ages of two and three, his lack of verbal activity and inability to “echo” simple sounds and syllables were found to be very concerning by the family.
• Autism Should Not Be Viewed as a Disability A good example is that the treatment of autism as a mental disorder makes it possible for pharmaceutical companies and clinics to invent new health systems or procedures that will meet the needs of the […]
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder For instance, the researchers have reviewed the findings by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Government Accountability Office to present the statistics on children with ASD and the increase in the number […]
• Autist Student’s Behavior and Remedial Plan In the process of reading, I would pay attention to the student’s concentration and ability to integrate what she was reading. She also took long in doing this and did not want to stop the […]
• Autism Treatment, Its Methods and Results It was appropriate to focus on the use of the DSE intervention and examine if addressed most of the challenges facing many ASD patients.
• The Physiological Impact of Autism on Children and Parents It is possible to speak about the physiological impact of ASD on children and their parents in the UK, and the detailed examination of this issue is required. To review the literature on possible barriers […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Programs Effectiveness The purpose of this PE, therefore, is to evaluate and analyze the efficiency of the programs implemented by the Day Support Services.
• Autism: Characteristics, Prevalence and Interventions The symptoms of autism are noticeable in the early years of childhood. Occupational therapy is one of the non-educational interventions used to assist kids with autism.
• Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders The main goal of this paper is to present a review of relevant literature addressing the issue of helping college students with ASD prepare for workforce readiness and job placement.
• Autism Treatment Network in the PEACE Program In order to use these resources in PEACE, it is necessary to establish a budget that will cover expenditures on training courses for specialists involved in the program, educational materials, seminars, and individual counseling.
• Association Between Vaccination and Autism The study examined whether there is a link between the toxic effects of exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines and the risk of developing ASD.
• Olfaction and Autism Spectrum Disorder Relationship These findings reveal that the sniff test can reveal both the presence and severity of ASD in young children. The link between ASD and olfaction can be used in diagnosing young children with autism.
• Vaccination Contrubution to Autism Development This anxiety has led to a civic health dispute about the civil liberties of parents to decide whether to vaccinate their children, along with the state regulation on vaccinations to guard the wellbeing of its […]
• Abu Dhabi Autism Center The Abu Dhabi Autism Center has to operate within the laws and regulations of the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs.
• Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism It is the most commonly applied autism treatment remedy in the United States and several other countries in the world and the major method that schools and therapists embrace and use.
• Involving Adults With Autism Plus Learning Disability Since the method is interviewing, a particular aspect of the study that should be addressed with attention is the researchers’ perspective.
• Inclusion Curriculum for Children With Autism In the given paper, the issue of children autism, the developmental issues that autism triggers and the educational prospects for children with autism are going to be considered.
• Inclusive Education: Child With Autism and Spina Bifida It is worth mentioning that Ted’s mother is willing to cooperate with teachers, and her participation can be of great assistance to the teacher.
• Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism It is possible to state that the book provides rather a high-quality review of the issues about the identification, education, and upbringing of the 2e children.
• Case Law and Case Study of a Student With Autism On reviewing the evaluation results in the presence of the student’s mother, an agreement was reached on the general education placement for the student.
• Children With Autism’ Communication in Saudi Arabia Parents of children with autism in Saudi Arabia have complained that the government has neglected the needs of autistic children by failing to finance their education and research to detect the effectiveness of the digital […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Testing and Measurement It will begin with the rationale that explain why the issues are critical, followed by the reasons for unavailability of the solutions to the issues and the consequences of the issues.
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Educational Interventions From this point, this paper aims to discuss the definition of Autism Spectrum Disorders, examine the etiology and incidence of the disorder, focus on the prevalence of autism, and analyze the effectiveness of the DTT […]
• Autism Expressed: Branding Strategy and Marketing The promise that the brand offers to the public should be in line with the desires of the clients. This firm will need to prepare this branding strategy in a way that will meet its […]
• Vaccines and Autism: Separating Facts From Fiction The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system and responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and […]
• Self-Injury in Autism: Applied Behavior Analysis Applied behavior analysis incorporates the utilization of direct perception, estimation, and useful investigation of the relations in the middle of the environment and conduct.
• Lesson for Learners With Autism: Reflection Observation The essay identifies the instructional methods used by the teacher during the exercise. The teacher also guided the learners to solve the mathematical problems using different visual objects.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Concept Besides, Temple often explores her own experiences and attempts to understand the feelings of others that are unavailable to her by visualizing herself as other creatures people and animals.
• Dubai Autism Center’ Quality Management TQM employs strategies and effective communication within the organization to incorporate the quality principles into the culture and activities of the organization to ensure that all the activities are geared towards satisfying the customers.
• Vaccination and Autism in Children The problem with this case is that while it may be true that the cause for the development of autism in children have yet to be fully determined, the fact remains that there have been […]
• Video Modeling for Individuals With Autism The video model will be developed according to the needs of autistic children, with the focus on the role of visual and auditory stimuli in the teaching process.
• The Effects of Vaccines on Autism From their study, the findings demonstrate that the presence of thimerosal is one of the causes of the disorder. It is imperative to state that they have used many studies that have indicated that there […]
• Vaccination as a Cause Autism This paper borrows on the arguments of Monica Prasad and Washington and Haydn when they argue that the belief about vaccinations as a primary cause of autism stems from emotional, psychological, and behavioral barriers, as […]
• Youth With Autism Disorder: Education and Employment This includes the communication patterns of the teenager, the extent of social relations and the unusual behavioral characteristics of the teenager in the environment.
• Autism Children Education Inclusion Policy in Private Schools: Compulsory Enrollment Policy 2011 The following are the main areas will be addressed by the policy: Prohibited Private schools will be prohibited from ignoring the needs of children suffering from autism; they will be compelled by the act to […]
• Autism: Pathogenesis and Intervention Similarly, a person with autism has to be trained on the process of communicating normally and forming a relationship with objects, events and people in their lives.
• The Real Causes of Autism However, the main problem is that this association or correlation does not imply that autism is triggered by a vaccine. This is the main argument that can be put forward.
• Autism. Sensory Integration. Tactile Desensitization The poor development that is recorded at the early stages in life is likely to affect the development of different skills by the individuals even in the adult stages The signs that are associated with […]
• Autism Effect on Children It is crucial to understand the behavior of children with autism in the school set up in order to understand how autism affects children and their social interactions. It is up to the teacher to […]
• Autism and Its Effects on Social Interaction The article “Social Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” identifies the major challenges facing many people with autism. The authors wanted to examine the social problems and difficulties encountered by individuals with Autism Spectrum […]
• Older Dads More Likely to Have Kids With Autism The author highlights autism as one of the main outcomes of late fatherhood following the release of the results of a study involving the counting of the mutations corresponding to a father’s age at the […]
• Evidenced-Based Practice: Autism Management in Children Autism largely is connected to communication abilities of a child, a situation that later results into the child experiencing disability problems in effectively encoding and decoding communicative messages.
• Miami Dance Project for Autistic Children For me, what the Miami dance project represents is in line with what is known as the concept of confidence building wherein through the development of certain talents children with autism will begin to have […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Family Impact One of the greatest fears of a parent with such a child is the fact that such a child would be taken care of until the advanced stages of their lives.
• Program Models in Autism The DTT technique has been designed in such a way as to target the individual behavior of an autistic child using the available curriculum.
• Autism in Saudi Arabia This support may come in the form of modification of the curriculum to cater for the special needs of the autistic children.
• Analysis of Autism Disorder This disorder affects the brain of the child during growth so that it does not develop in the right way thus affecting the social and communication skills of the child. This is especially to the […]
• One-To-One Programs: Supporting Autistic Children The purpose of conducting this essay will be to examine the educational intervention of one-to-one support programs during normal school times within a mainstream classroom and also to discuss the challenges faced by teachers and […]
• Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment: An Overview of the Recent Progress and the Current Challenges in Treating Autism in Children In the given paper, the issue of psychological disorders is being addressed in reference to the ideas expressed in Chapter 11 “Psychological Disorders” in Carole Wade and Carol Tavris’s Invitation to Psychology.
• Early Intervention for Young Adults With Autism This is due to unavailability of information on children development stages and the importance of early detection and intervention in the case of autism.
• Different Behaviors in Children With Autism The purpose is to find out whether the co morbidity changes with the environment, and assess the influence that the environment has on the behavior of an autistic child.
• Diagnosis and Treatment for Autism Disorder Children with autism are therefore able to reason and even interpret the feelings of other people but the challenge is to communicate the response to other people.
• Autism: Qualitative Research Design Golafshani continues to argue that the use of the term “dependability” in qualitative studies is a close match to the idea of “reliability” in quantitative research.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder However, the reality is that the number of children with autism and having high intelligence is insignificant. It is apparent that, in autism, a disorder is found in the structure of the brain.
• Treatment of Autism With the Use of the Picture Exchange Communication System There are lots of types of this communication system that may be used with children, who have autism, and one of them is the Picture Exchange Communication System that is characterized by a proper picture […]
• Vaccines and Autism: A Critical Analysis of Thimerosal in Relation to Measles, Mumps, and Rubella The safety and efficacy of vaccines has been the subject of many studies in the medical field. The disorder was observed in one participant from each of the cohorts in the experiment.
• How to Recognize and Teach Students With Autism If these groups of students have to be given directions that are more than three steps, the directions have to be written down due to their inability to remember sequences.
• Autism and Visual Thought Suprisingly the quality of visual thinking according to Bogdashina is dependent on other factors like time and the state the autistic person is in.
• Autism and Educational Process Owing to these adverse effects that can stem from autism and the shear prevalence of the condition in the country’s population, a lot of research effort has been dedicated to the early diagnosis and treatment […]
• Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Thimerosal is alleged to increase the exposure of mercury in the vaccine to a substantiated high amount. In fact, the amount of antigens between children with autism and without is the same irrespective of the […]
• Language Development Problems in Children: An Indicative Characteristic of Autism This is because it is a time when it is expected that a majority of the kids should be able to talk.
• The Disease of Autism Origin The disorder is one of the new diagnoses of the autism. Other effects of the disorder are constipation and growth failures that may be a problem to the lives of the individual.
• Autism’s Teaching Tips for Children and Adults The present description is concerned with the role of teacher in the better management of Autism in children. Further, assessment of the interactive and developmental skills is on of the important component in the teacher […]
• What Are Autism Spectrum Disorders?
• How Does Autism Affect the Person With It and Those Around Them?
• What Are the Barriers of Learning for a Learner With Autism/Aspergers in Performing Arts?
• Does Gluten Effect Children With Autism?
• What Are the Causes of Autism?
• How Does Autism Affect a Child’s Educational Performance?
• What Can Autism Look Like and Things You Can Do to Spot It?
• Can Children With Autism Develop a Theory of Mind?
• Which Interventions Reduce Anxiety in Autistic People?
• What Influence Has the Development of Autism Had on a Diagnosed Individual?
• How Does Autism Affect the Development of a Child?
• Are Huddles the Missing Piece of the Puzzle in Implementing Clinical Innovation for the Eating Disorder and Autism Comorbidity?
• How Does Autism Start?
• Can Mouse Imaging Studies Bring Order to Autism Connectivity Chaos?
• How Does ‘Fake News’ Affect Autism Policy?
• Are There Any Relationships Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Testosterone Elevation, and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Do People With Autism Experience the World?
• Can Robotic Systems Promote Self-Disclosure in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Did the Media Perpetuate the Autism-Vaccine Scare?
• Are There Cultural Differences in Parental Interest in Early Diagnosis and Genetic Risk Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Can the Therapist Help Autism Children?
• Can Vaccinations Cause Autism?
• Does Autism Spectrum Disorder Affect People All Around the World?
• Is There a Correlation Between Epigenetics and Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Does Autism Affect Regular Brain Functions as Well as Socialization Skills?
• What Can Responses to Music in Autism Tell Us About the Nature of Musical Emotions?
• Why Has the Incidence Rate of Autism Increased?
• What Are the Most Effective Ways to Support/Provide Social Care For Autistic Adults?
• Which Interventions Are Effective in the Development of Communication/Language Skills in Autism?
• How Can Parents and Family Members Be Supported/Educated to Care For and Better Understand an Autistic Relative?
• OCD Essay Titles
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100 Autism Research Paper Topics

Careful selection of autism research paper topics is very important. That’s because there are many autism topics that students can research and write about. The topic that a learner chooses dictates the direction that their research and writing process will take. As such, students should select their topic ideas based on their academic goals. Ideally, what a learner opts to write about should help them accomplish their study goals.

Autism can be defined as a spectral disorder that makes a child seem to have a world of their own. Many parents misinterpret this disorder and assume that the child does not notice them. However, this is usually not the case. Parents are the first people to notice this disorder. With more children being diagnosed with this disorder, educators are asking learners to write about autism essay topics.

If you’ve been asked to write about this subject, take your time to research this disorder. You can even read the autobiographies of autistic people. If possible, meet and interact with autistic people before you start writing. This will give you an idea of what this condition is all about. Our psychology topics may also come in handy. In most cases, you will be required to focus your paper or essay on the creation of more autism awareness. This article highlights some of the topics in autism that you can consider for your paper or essay.

Basic Autism Research Paper Topics

Autism is a broad research area. Researchers have delved into this field and came up with different findings. However, you can still pick a topic for your research in this field and come up with new information. Here are some of the most interesting research topics in autism that can form the basis of your academic paper or essay.

• Why some people autistic and others are not?
• Does being autistic have advantages?
• Why is being autistic disadvantageous?
• Some people have a good memory or recall skills, explain why
• Facts that people should know about autism
• Explain the chemical brain differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals
• Discuss some of major breakthroughs in autism research
• Why do people with autism have difficulty socializing with others?
• What can normal people learn from autistic people’s brains?
• What characteristics should a person with autism have?
• How should an autistic person be trained during care provision?
• What should caregivers understand about autism to do their job right?
• Explain the behavior of autistic individuals towards family members
• Provide an average autistic individual’s overview
• How can the social interactions of autistic people be improved?
• Explain what causes autism
• What educational programs do autistic people have?
• How to diagnose autism in the early stages
• Explain the role of music in an autistic person’s life
• Is there a treatment for reducing autistic people’s disadvantages?
• What are the employment limitations and opportunities for autistic people?
• Discuss the major stories about autism that have been shared in the media
• What is yet to be discovered about autism?
• Explain how healthcare workers can help autistic individuals go through their daily life
• Describe the top 5 autistic individuals that are best known in history

These are some of the most interesting autism topics for research paper or essay. However, you should research them extensively before you start writing. That’s because each of these topics requires you to include verifiable facts in your paper or essay.

Strong Autism Dissertation Topics

With so many children being diagnosed with autism, more learners are writing dissertations on this subject. And there are many autism research topics from which a learner can choose. Here are some of the best autism thesis topics to consider.

• Is there evidence to prove that environmental triggers are responsible for rising autism cases?
• Explain the relationship between stimming self-regulator for anxiety and autism
• Why is autism prevalence in western society greater?
• How is autism related to mental health?
• How can family doctors be supported to take care of autistic people?
• Discuss autism and childhood immunization
• Discuss some of the prominent individuals in history that were most likely autistic
• How can autistic people be supported at the workplace?
• How do autistic females differ from autistic males?
• Can autistic children adapt to mainstream education?
• What are the positives and negatives of special education for autistic children?
• Should autistic children attend special schools?
• Why do people consider autism a spectrum disorder?
• What diagnostic changes have raised the concern that Asperger’s Syndrome might no longer exist
• Does lifestyle play a role in autism?

Some of these topics on autism may seem complex to research and write about. However, you can find relevant and sufficient supporting evidence from different sources. You just need the time and resources required to write about any of these topics about autism.

Autism Parent Training Topics

Raising an autistic child is not easy. Parents and caregivers should learn about autism spectrum disorder and its effects on their children. They should also learn how this disorder affects the entire family. It’s for this reason that researchers focus on research topics in autism that educate parents and caregivers about taking care of autistic children. Here are some of the best autism social learning topics.

• How to manage the parenting challenges for people with autistic children
• How to enhance the communication skills of autistic children
• How to enhance the coping skills of autistic children
• How to address the negative behaviors of autistic children
• How to increase the play skills of autistic children
• How to diagnose autism early in children
• How to increase the independence of autistic children
• How to improve self-help in autistic children
• How does autism in one child affect the other family members?
• How to solve the daily problems of autistic children

Each of these topics is meant to produce a paper or essay that can help parents of autistic children cope with the disorder. The information can also help the parents make their children lead a better life despite their condition.

Paper Topics about Autism and Education

Since it’s a complex disorder that affects brain development, autism touches on education as well. Here are some of the good research paper topics on autism and education that you can write about.

• Why is autism worth researching?
• Discuss the causes of autism
• Discuss the development realms that are affected by autism
• What resources do autistic people have access to?
• Explain how autistic children learn
• Explain how autism affects the learning process
• Explain the struggles of autistic students
• Explain parent training autism
• Discuss the major types of autism
• How does learning differ between autistic and normal students?

These topics focus on the relationship between autism and learning or education. Just like the topics in the other categories, they require extensive research to write about too.

Autism Research Proposal Topics

A lot of information about autism is being discussed by researchers across the world. This makes it hard for some learners to pick proposal topics for their autism papers. Here are some of the topics to consider if struggling to pick your proposal topic.

• What is autism therapy?
• Is autism therapy helpful?
• How should caregivers provide care to autistic persons?
• What is the best way to work for an autistic person?
• Working with an autistic person- What are the major challenges?
• How do you cope with an autistic family member?
• How should autistic people be treated in social places?
• What limitations do autistic people have in modern society?
• Is the current society considerate of autistic people?
• How does modern technology benefit autistic people?

If you pick a research topic on autism from this category, take the time to research it extensively to write a brilliant paper or essay.

Thought-Provoking Autism Debate Topics

Perhaps, you want to write a paper or essay that can form the basis of a debate about autism. In that case, consider one of these topics.

• How celebrities and pseudo-scientists have caused serious damage by claiming that autism is related to vaccinations
• How to educate society about autism
• How to change the future of autistic children with early interventions
• How school officials can help autistic children
• How to help autistic kids whose parents are uncooperative or in denial
• How autistic children can benefit from occupational therapy
• Discuss the DSM-V regarding autism
• How educational opportunities for autistic children compare to those of normal children
• How health officials can convince the public that shots don’t cause autism
• Should children that have not been vaccinated because parents believe that vaccines cause autism be taken to school?
• How to support siblings of an individual with autism
• How to transition a person with autism to community-based services from school-based services.
• How to fight for autistic people’s rights
• How to deal with the psychological struggles of autistic children
• How music affects autistic patients
• Social organizations for autistic people
• Why diagnosing autism early is important
• Can autism be prevented?
• How to interact with autistic people
• What employment options do autistic people have?
• How to manage autism in adults
• A brief history of autism
• How living with an autistic person can affect your life
• How genetics affect autism
• Can the environment cause autism?
• Can medical treatment cause autism?
• A review of autism in different countries
• A review of autism in different cultures
• What signs of autism should parents watch out for?
• How to develop a treatment plan for autism

This category has controversial topics autism researchers can explore too. Nevertheless, whether you choose parenting or autism biology topics for research paper, take the time to research extensively before you start writing. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need thesis writing help .

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Content Analysis of Abstracts Published in Autism Journals in 2021: The year in Review

Haris memisevic.

Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Sarajevo, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Amina Djipa

Ever since Leo Kanner first described autism in 1943, the research in this field has grown immensely. In 2021 alone, 5837 SCOPUS indexed documents were published with a title that contained the words: “autism”, “autistic”, or “ASD”. The purpose of this study was to examine the most common topics of autism research in 2021 and present a geographical contribution to this research.

We performed a content analysis of 1102 abstracts from the articles published in 11 Autism journals in 2021. The following journals, indexed by the SCOPUS database, were included: Autism, Autism Research, Molecular Autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Advances in Autism, Autism and Developmental Language Impairments , and Autism in Adulthood.

According to the analysis, the main research topics were: mental health, social communication, social skills, quality of life, parenting stress, ADHD, Covid-19, self-efficacy, special education, and theory of mind. In relation to geographic distribution, most studies came from the USA, followed by the UK, Australia, and Canada.

Research topics were aligned with the priorities set by stakeholders in autism, most notably persons with autism themselves and their family members. There is a big gap in research production between developed countries and developing countries.

Introduction

According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the pattern of stereotypical and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). An Austrian-American psychiatrist Leo Kanner was the first scientist who described a condition that we now refer to as ASD in 1943 (Kanner, 1943 ). Ever since that seminal paper describing the case histories of 11 children was published, the interest in autism research has grown immensely. This is not surprising given the high prevalence of the condition. Current estimates show that ASD is a common disorder, with a median prevalence of around 1%, and a median male-to-female ratio of 4.2:1 (Zeidan et al., 2022 ). The rise in the prevalence of autism has been associated with new research and investments in autism research internationally (Pellicano et al., 2014 ). Given this rise in research funds dedicated to autism research, it is of critical importance to determine the research priorities in this field. In a study examining research priorities, stakeholders preferred applied to basic research topics and gave importance to topics such as co-occurring conditions, health and well-being, and lifespan issues (Frazier et al., 2018 ). From the parents’ perspective, the priorities are quite similar, and involve topics such as health and well-being, socialization and social support, community awareness, and understanding of Autism (Clark & Adams, 2020 ). Another topic of interest is the similarities and differences of the impact of autism in different world regions, as it is difficult to draw public attention to this condition in less developed countries (Hahler & Elsabbagh, 2015 ).

Thus, in this article, we examined the most frequent research topics in autism research in 2021 and reviewed from which countries these studies originate. The reference for this research is the SCOPUS database. The SCOPUS is an abstract and indexing database produced by Elsevier and covers abstracts and citations from 1966 to the present (Burnham, 2006 ). The SCOPUS database was selected for this analysis as it has broader coverage in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities than the Web of Science (Memisevic et al., 2019 ).

According to the SCOPUS database, in 2021, 5837 documents were published that in its title contained the words “autism”, autistic” or “ASD”. Most of these documents were scientific articles (5034), with the rest of the documents including books, chapters, and conference papers. As an illustration of this growth in autism research, let us point to the fact that in 2001 there were 558 such documents, and in 2011, there were 2120 documents. More than 100 scientific journals had at least five articles published in 2021 with the terms “autism”, “autistic”, or “ASD” in their titles. Most of the articles were from the fields of medicine, psychology, neuroscience, social sciences, biochemistry, and health professions, but also some less expected fields such as engineering, environmental science, physics, business, and agriculture.

This review aimed to analyze the most prevalent research topics in Autism journals indexed in SCOPUS in the year 2021. We also provided a brief overview of the ten most frequent research topics and additional information on articles dealing with these topics. Lastly, we wanted to examine the main contributing countries to autism research.

The SCOPUS scientific base was used to extract data for this study. We examined all journals indexed by SCOPUS whose titles had the word “autism”. There were 11 such journals: Autism, Autism Research, Molecular Autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Advances in Autism, Autism and Developmental Language Impairments, and Autism in Adulthood.

Procedure and Analysis

The inclusion criteria for this review were that the final version of the article was published in 2021, and that it was a research article including original scientific articles, brief reports, case studies, case reports, and review articles. We did not extract data from Editorials, Commentaries, Letters to Editor, Book Reviews, and Corrections. We extracted the following information for each article: (1) Journal’s name, (2) Title of the article, (3) Country of the corresponding author, and (4) Abstract. Total number of analyzed articles was 1102. From the analysis output, we created two categories. The first is related to research topic (theme). Phrases containing two or more words were extracted, and we manually selected meaningful research topics. The second category was related to the subjects (participants) of the studies. The data were analyzed with R computer program (R Core Team, 2021 ). In addition, we extracted information regarding the country of origin of the corresponding author as a proxy for geographical contribution to autism research.

We first present the number of abstracts retrieved from each of the journals.

As can be seen from Table  1 ., almost 1/3 (68.3%) of all articles were retrieved from the top three journals: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism Research, and Autism .

The number of abstracts of articles retrieved from Autism Journals

The most common research topics in Autism Journals are presented in Table  2 .

The 15 most common research topics in Autism Journals

As can be seen from Table  2 . Mental health was the topic most frequently explored in these articles. Another category that we explored in relation to these abstracts was “participants”.

These data are shown in Table  3 .

Frequency of terms related to the category “participants”

Finally, we examined the corresponding author’s countries to see the geographical contribution to autism research. We only presented data for countries that had 10 or more articles published out of 1102 reviewed articles (Table  4 ).

Corresponding author’s country

By large margin, the USA had the largest share in autism research, followed by the UK, Australia, Canada, and China. There were total of 47 countries that contributed to the entire pool of studies, but the contribution of most of them was rather small. Actually, 32 countries had a contribution of less than 1%. Developing countries were largely underrepresented in the list of contributing countries.

The goal of the present study was to review the most common research topics that were published in Autism journals in 2021. The most frequent topic was mental health . This is not surprising given the challenges that people with ASD are facing with, as well as their families in their everyday lives. The Covid-19 pandemic probably caused an additional incentive for researching this topic. Several factors during the pandemic, such as lockdowns, physical distancing, economic breakdowns, all increase the risk of mental health problems and can even deepen health inequalities (Moreno et al., 2020 ). Given that people with ASD have much higher risk of co-occurring mental health conditions than those without ASD (Rydzewska et al., 2018 ), research interest in mental health deserves to be on the top of priorities in autism research. In line with this, there is a need to create and validate assessment instruments designed specifically for autistic individuals. One such promising instrument is the Assessment of Concerning Behavior which has very good psychometric properties and can be used in future studies (Tarver et al., 2021 ). Mental health was also explored in relation to job prospects of autistic individuals. Thus, mental health issues need to be addressed as they appear to negatively impact job search and maintenance (Martin & Lanovaz, 2021 ). Besides targeting people with autism, research in mental health also dealt with parents of autistic individuals. The research showed that parental mental health could be significantly improved through support services and by strengthening personal relationships (Schiller et al., 2021 ).

A topic that attracted much scientific attention was social communication, which is one of the core features of ASD. When exploring the abstracts containing the phrase “social communication” we discovered that in many abstracts this was not the main topic of the study but just part in which the authors defined and described autism. However, some of the studies dealt with social communication per se. For example, one study explored how social communication is related to early spoken language and how it predicts later language skills (Blume et al., 2021 ). Also, social communication was the subject of neuroanatomical studies. In one such study, authors examined neural synchronization of tempoparietal junction and found that participants with autism showed decreased neural synchrony of that brain region (Quiñones-Camacho et al., 2021 ). Lastly, let us mention an interesting study of yoga, in which authors indicated that creative yoga intervention might be a promising tool for improving social communication in children with ASD (Kaur et al., 2021 ).

Next in frequency was the topic of social skills. Social skills are quite susceptible to various treatment and can be improved. In one intervention study, the authors showed that Mixed Martial Arts intervention benefited social skills (Phung & Goldberg, 2021 ). A review of school-based social skills interventions was conducted by Dean & Chang ( 2021 ). In that review, the authors analyzed 18 intervention studies and concluded that these interventions improved social skills. The authors also pointed to the need for school practitioners to be more aware of school-intervention protocols to improve social skills of children with ASD. Eye-tracking task has been shown to predict social skills intervention outcomes (Raulston et al., 2021 ). Social skills were also examined in relation to another interesting concept, camouflaging. Camouflaging can be defined as behavioral adaptations of people with ASD to mask symptoms in social situations (Corbett et al., 2021 ). Camouflaging is more prevalent in autistic females than in males, which might be related to delays in the provision of support (Wood-Downie et al., 2021 ). Finally, let us mention the potential of modern technologies in improving social skills. One such promising modality for enhancing social skills is the video-enhanced activity schedules using tablet technology (Osos et al., 2021 ).

Quality of life is a topic of universal importance to all stakeholders in the field of autism. Earlier reviews have also shown that quality of life is one of the most important topics in autism research (Memišević & Đorđević, 2020 ). One of the studies reviewed investigated the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life in autistic adults (McLean et al., 2021 ). The authors concluded that interventions that target both sleep quality and stress could improve the quality of life of autistic individuals. The quality of life of caregivers of autistic persons is dependent on behavioral problems in persons with autism. A study by Kurokawa et al., ( 2021 ), indicated a relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and behavioral problems. Thus, the appropriate assessment and treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms might lead to decreased problematic behavior and improved quality of life.

The next research topic we identified is parenting stress. It is well-established that parents of children with ASD have more stress than parents of typically developing children (Bonis, 2016 ). This review found studies that identified factors associated with higher stress levels. For example, in a study by Raff et al., ( 2021 ), the authors found that parental perceptions about family support, symptom predictability, and treatment beliefs were related to parental stress. Similarly, a study by Kurtz et al., ( 2021 ) pointed to the relationship between a child’s problem behavior and parental stress. The authors highlighted the importance of determining the function of problematic behavior in relation to parental stress. Interestingly, one study found that parental stress was not associated with ASD symptom severity (Voliovitch et al., 2021 ). These authors have also pointed that parental stress should be assessed prior to the diagnostic evaluation of the child.

A frequent co-occurring condition with autism is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This topic has also attracted much scientific attention, especially the studies on the prevalence of ADHD in ASD. One of the studies from 2021 was the meta-analysis of the ADHD prevalence in ASD, and the results showed a prevalence rate of 38.5% for pooled current estimate and 40.2% for lifetime prevalence (Rong et al., 2021 ). The prevalence of ADHD symptoms in preschool children with ASD revealed that 27% of children belonged to high ADHD symptom group, and 30% to moderate ADHD symptom group (Hong et al., 2021 ). However, a note of caution is necessary here as that study was referring to ADHD symptoms and not a clinically confirmed ADHD diagnosis.

The next topic was not on the list of autism research priorities before 2020, and that is the topic related to the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has affected all spheres of life, including health, safety, and well-being of individuals and communities (Pfefferbaum & North, 2020 ). Autistic individuals might have an even higher risk of difficulties coping with Covid-19 due to unexpected changes in their routines (Spain et al., 2021 ). Spain et al. stressed that Covid-19 caused major disruption or loss of service provisions to people with ASD. The concern for mental health of persons with ASD was also expressed in an article by Bal et al., ( 2021 ). In that article, the authors found that younger females with personal Covid-19 experience (knowing someone who had Covid-19) reported the greatest negative impacts. According to the authors, one way to cope with this situation is for mental health providers to focus on positive aspects on one’s life, such as fostering hope. Researchers have also investigated the Covid-19 vaccination rate in people with ASD (Weinstein et al., 2021 ). The authors stressed that individuals with ASD are more susceptible to COVID-19 morbidity and should be prioritized for vaccination.

The topic of self-efficacy was ranked on the 8th place. This topic was investigated in relation to job seeking and interview process of autistic individuals. Again, the modern technologies, such as virtual reality, might be very helpful in gaining confidence. For example, virtual interactive training agents were found to increase self-efficacy skills and consequently outcomes for people with ASD (Burke et al., 2021 ). In addition to self-efficacy in autistic people, important consideration needs to be self-efficacy in parents of children with ASD. Findings indicate that parents who are more involved in their child’s therapeutic interventions also report higher levels of self-efficacy (Kurzrok et al., 2021 ).

The next topic on the list was special education. Some of the studies focused on special education eligibility as there seems to be a discrepancy between clinical diagnoses of ASD and the determination of special education eligibility (Stichter et al., 2021 ). Some studies were aimed at special education teachers. In one such study, special education teachers were asked whether they felt prepared to use evidence-based strategies in their work (Hamrick et al., 2021 ). The results of that study indicated a research-to-practice gap as special education teachers reported using many practices that were not identified as evidence-based practices. An interesting review was conducted by Rios & Burke ( 2021 ) regarding the facilitators and barriers to positive special education experiences. In that review, the authors found that facilitators to positive experience were: understanding special education services, parent-school communication, and parent support. On the other hand, barriers to positive special education experience included: limited access to resources, stigma, cultural divergence, and lack of access to special education knowledge.

We end this short overview of topics with theory of mind (TOM), ranked 10th on our list. TOM is the ability to impute mental states to oneself and others, including thoughts, feelings, intentions, and beliefs (Premack & Woodruff, 1978 ). There are some inconsistent results regarding TOM in people with ASD. While some studies reported that people with ASD have difficulties in TOM, (Baron-Cohen, 2000 ; Schneider et al., 2013 ), there are authors who stated that the claim that autistic individuals lack of TOM is not empirically supported and that such claims of autistic persons lack TOM can even be societally harmful (Gernsbacher & Yergeau, 2019 ). In any case, assessing TOM is a very important task in creating intervention programs. Here we will mention two instruments for measuring TOM, one for children and one for adults. The Theory of Mind Inventory-2 for children is a promising measure in assessing TOM. The research indicates that Theory of Mind Inventory − 2 is appropriate for reflecting children’s developmental stages of theory of mind (Lee et al., 2021 ). This in turn, can inform treatment options for improving social cognition. On the other hand, there is a promising attempt at creating instruments for measuring TOM in adults. Hutchins et al., ( 2021 ) created a Theory of Mind Inventory: Self-Report Adult and suggested it could be used as a promising research and clinical tool for the assessment of social cognition in adults.

These were the ten most common research themes published in 2021 that we identified in this review. Due to space constraints, we could not provide more information on other articles and research topics that are equally worthy of scientific attention. We hope this overview of topics will help and encourage authors, especially from developing countries, to conduct these kinds of studies in their own countries.

In relation to the participants of the studies, we can conclude that all groups seem to be well represented, including children, adolescents, and adults. In the future, the differences in the number of studies including children and those including adults will probably be further reduced as the topics related to lifelong supports, transitions, and employment are gaining its momentum.

As for the contributing countries to autism research, it is evident that most corresponding authors come from the USA, UK, Australia, and Canada. Although 47 countries contributed to the pool of 1102 articles published in 2021, only small portion of articles actually came from developing countries. In order to create effective policies, it is important to understand the global burden of autism (Baxter et al., 2015), which is much more severe in developing countries. So, why are there not more autism articles originating from developing countries? Some of the reasons are: poor scientific production, poor preparation of manuscripts, poor access to scientific literature, poor participation in publication-related decision-making processes, and bias of journals (Langer et al., 2004 ). Initiatives such as joint collaboration of authors from developing and developed countries, increased regional representation of scientists from developing countries on editorial boards of autism journals, and special issues of international journals that will have regional focus, are all ways to increase, at least partially, the contribution from developing countries.

Let us mention some of the limitations of the current review. Due to the selection criteria, we did not include many journals that produced articles on autism in this review. Thus, future reviews might be more inclusive and diverse in relation to reviewed journals. Next, in the description of the ten most common research topics, there was some part of subjectivity on the side of authors. We could not reference all published papers on the certain research topic and probably the selection of articles would be different in other authors.

It is quite encouraging that research topics were very much aligned with the priorities set by stakeholders in autism, most notably persons with autism themselves and their family members. We also hope the next review will include more articles from developing countries.

Conflict of interest

Authors report no conflict of interest. All the data are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Ethics Approval

The study was approved by the University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Educational Studies.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder

What is asd.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is described as a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first 2 years of life.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) , a guide created by the American Psychiatric Association that health care providers use to diagnose mental disorders, people with ASD often have:

• Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people
• Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
• Symptoms that affect their ability to function in school, work, and other areas of life

Autism is known as a “spectrum” disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience.

People of all genders, races, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds can be diagnosed with ASD. Although ASD can be a lifelong disorder, treatments and services can improve a person’s symptoms and daily functioning. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children receive screening for autism. Caregivers should talk to their child’s health care provider about ASD screening or evaluation.

What are the signs and symptoms of ASD?

The list below gives some examples of common types of behaviors in people diagnosed with ASD. Not all people with ASD will have all behaviors, but most will have several of the behaviors listed below.

Social communication / interaction behaviors may include:

• Making little or inconsistent eye contact
• Appearing not to look at or listen to people who are talking
• Infrequently sharing interest, emotion, or enjoyment of objects or activities (including infrequent pointing at or showing things to others)
• Not responding or being slow to respond to one’s name or to other verbal bids for attention
• Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversation
• Often talking at length about a favorite subject without noticing that others are not interested or without giving others a chance to respond
• Displaying facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what is being said
• Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song or flat and robot-like
• Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions
• Difficulties adjusting behaviors to social situations
• Difficulties sharing in imaginative play or in making friends

Restrictive / repetitive behaviors may include:

• Repeating certain behaviors or having unusual behaviors, such as repeating words or phrases (a behavior called echolalia)
• Having a lasting intense interest in specific topics, such as numbers, details, or facts
• Showing overly focused interests, such as with moving objects or parts of objects
• Becoming upset by slight changes in a routine and having difficulty with transitions
• Being more sensitive or less sensitive than other people to sensory input, such as light, sound, clothing, or temperature

People with ASD may also experience sleep problems and irritability.

People on the autism spectrum also may have many strengths, including:

• Being able to learn things in detail and remember information for long periods of time
• Being strong visual and auditory learners
• Excelling in math, science, music, or art

What are the causes and risk factors for ASD?

Researchers don’t know the primary causes of ASD, but studies suggest that a person’s genes can act together with aspects of their environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD. Some factors that are associated with an increased likelihood of developing ASD include:

• Having a sibling with ASD
• Having older parents
• Having certain genetic conditions (such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome)
• Having a very low birth weight

How is ASD diagnosed?

Health care providers diagnose ASD by evaluating a person’s behavior and development. ASD can usually be reliably diagnosed by age 2. It is important to seek an evaluation as soon as possible. The earlier ASD is diagnosed, the sooner treatments and services can begin.

Diagnosis in young children

Diagnosis in young children is often a two-stage process.

Stage 1: General developmental screening during well-child checkups

Every child should receive well-child check-ups with a pediatrician or an early childhood health care provider. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children receive screening for developmental delays at their 9-, 18-, and 24- or 30-month well-child visits, with specific autism screenings at their 18- and 24-month well-child visits. A child may receive additional screening if they have a higher likelihood of ASD or developmental problems. Children with a higher likelihood of ASD include those who have a family member with ASD, show some behaviors that are typical of ASD, have older parents, have certain genetic conditions, or who had a very low birth weight.

Considering caregivers’ experiences and concerns is an important part of the screening process for young children. The health care provider may ask questions about the child’s behaviors and evaluate those answers in combination with information from ASD screening tools and clinical observations of the child. Read more about screening instruments   on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

If a child shows developmental differences in behavior or functioning during this screening process, the health care provider may refer the child for additional evaluation.

Stage 2: Additional diagnostic evaluation

It is important to accurately detect and diagnose children with ASD as early as possible, as this will shed light on their unique strengths and challenges. Early detection also can help caregivers determine which services, educational programs, and behavioral therapies are most likely to be helpful for their child.

A team of health care providers who have experience diagnosing ASD will conduct the diagnostic evaluation. This team may include child neurologists, developmental pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, child psychologists and psychiatrists, educational specialists, and occupational therapists.

The diagnostic evaluation is likely to include:

• Medical and neurological examinations
• Assessment of the child’s cognitive abilities
• Assessment of the child’s language abilities
• Observation of the child’s behavior
• An in-depth conversation with the child’s caregivers about the child’s behavior and development
• Assessment of age-appropriate skills needed to complete daily activities independently, such as eating, dressing, and toileting

Because ASD is a complex disorder that sometimes occurs with other illnesses or learning disorders, the comprehensive evaluation may include:

• Blood tests
• Hearing test

The evaluation may lead to a formal diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.

Diagnosis in older children and adolescents

Caregivers and teachers are often the first to recognize ASD symptoms in older children and adolescents who attend school. The school’s special education team may perform an initial evaluation and then recommend that a child undergo additional evaluation with their primary health care provider or a health care provider who specialize in ASD.

A child’s caregivers may talk with these health care providers about their child’s social difficulties, including problems with subtle communication. For example, some children may have problems understanding tone of voice, facial expressions, or body language. Older children and adolescents may have trouble understanding figures of speech, humor, or sarcasm. They also may have trouble forming friendships with peers.

Diagnosis in adults

Diagnosing ASD in adults is often more difficult than diagnosing ASD in children. In adults, some ASD symptoms can overlap with symptoms of other mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Adults who notice signs of ASD should talk with a health care provider and ask for a referral for an ASD evaluation. Although evaluation for ASD in adults is still being refined, adults may be referred to a neuropsychologist, psychologist, or psychiatrist who has experience with ASD. The expert will ask about:

• Social interaction and communication challenges
• Sensory issues
• Repetitive behaviors
• Restricted interests

The evaluation also may include a conversation with caregivers or other family members to learn about the person’s early developmental history, which can help ensure an accurate diagnosis.

Receiving a correct diagnosis of ASD as an adult can help a person understand past challenges, identify personal strengths, and find the right kind of help. Studies are underway to determine the types of services and supports that are most helpful for improving the functioning and community integration of autistic transition-age youth and adults.

What treatment options are available for ASD?

Treatment for ASD should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis. Early treatment for ASD is important as proper care and services can reduce individuals’ difficulties while helping them build on their strengths and learn new skills.

People with ASD may face a wide range of issues, which means that there is no single best treatment for ASD. Working closely with a health care provider is an important part of finding the right combination of treatment and services.

A health care provider may prescribe medication to treat specific symptoms. With medication, a person with ASD may have fewer problems with:

• Irritability
• Repetitive behavior
• Hyperactivity
• Attention problems
• Anxiety and depression

Read more about the latest medication warnings, patient medication guides, and information on newly approved medications at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website  .

Behavioral, psychological, and educational interventions

People with ASD may be referred to a health care provider who specializes in providing behavioral, psychological, educational, or skill-building interventions. These programs are often highly structured and intensive, and they may involve caregivers, siblings, and other family members. These programs may help people with ASD:

• Learn social, communication, and language skills
• Reduce behaviors that interfere with daily functioning
• Increase or build upon strengths
• Learn life skills for living independently

Other resources

Many services, programs, and other resources are available to help people with ASD. Here are some tips for finding these additional services:

• Contact your health care provider, local health department, school, or autism advocacy group to learn about special programs or local resources.
• Find an autism support group. Sharing information and experiences can help people with ASD and their caregivers learn about treatment options and ASD-related programs.
• Record conversations and meetings with health care providers and teachers. This information may help when it’s time to decide which programs and services are appropriate.
• Keep copies of health care reports and evaluations. This information may help people with ASD qualify for special programs.

How can I find a clinical trial for ASD?

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.

Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. We have new and better treatment options today because of what clinical trials uncovered years ago. Be part of tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.

To learn more or find a study, visit:

• NIMH’s Clinical Trials webpage : Information about participating in clinical trials
• Clinicaltrials.gov: Current Studies on ASD  : List of clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) being conducted across the country

Where can I learn more about ASD?

Free brochures and shareable resources.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder : This brochure provides information about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD. Also available  en español .
• Digital Shareables on Autism Spectrum Disorder : Help support ASD awareness and education in your community. Use these digital resources, including graphics and messages, to spread the word about ASD.

Federal resources

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development  
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke  
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   (CDC)
• Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee  
• MedlinePlus   (also available en español  )

Research and statistics

• Science News About Autism Spectrum Disorder : This NIMH webpage provides press releases and announcements about ASD.
• Research Program on Autism Spectrum Disorders : This NIMH program supports research focused on the characterization, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcomes of ASD and related disorders.
• Statistics: Autism Spectrum Disorder : This NIMH webpage provides information on the prevalence of ASD in the U.S.
• Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder   : This CDC webpage provides data, statistics, and tools about prevalence and demographic characteristics of ASD.
• Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network   : This CDC-funded program collects data to better understand the population of children with ASD.
• Biomarkers Consortium - The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT)   : This Foundation for the National Institutes of Health project seeks to establish biomarkers to improve treatments for children with ASD.

Last Reviewed:  February 2024

Unless otherwise specified, the information on our website and in our publications is in the public domain and may be reused or copied without permission. However, you may not reuse or copy images. Please cite the National Institute of Mental Health as the source. Read our copyright policy to learn more about our guidelines for reusing NIMH content.

EDITORIAL article

Editorial: autism: innovations and future directions in psychological research.

• 1 Body, Eye and Movement Lab, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
• 2 Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
• 3 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany

Editorial on the Research Topic Autism: Innovations and Future Directions in Psychological Research

Psychological research on autism has a long tradition, covering multiple fields including cognition, perception, clinical research, neuroscience, and social psychology. This Research Topic brings together the latest research in this area, mapping key developments, innovations, and future directions. In this editorial, we will discuss six themes that we have identified across the 22 contributions to this Research Topic: (1) Theories and mechanisms; (2) Characterization of autism; (3) Sensory experiences, perception and movement; (4) Language; (5) Support and interventions; and (6) Methods and technologies. We also provide thoughts on future directions in the field.

Theories and Mechanisms

Recent discussions have focused on the double-empathy theory (e.g., Milton, 2012 ; Bolis et al., 2017 ; but see Georgescu et al., 2020 ), which interprets communication “difficulties” associated with autism as a bidirectional breakdown between two interaction partners. Building on this theory, Crompton et al. conducted an innovative empirical study examining interpersonal rapport as a function of the neurology of interaction partners, and the person rating levels of rapport. When rating rapport after semi-structured conversations, homogeneous dyads of non-autistic people reported highest levels of rapport, followed by homogeneous dyads of autistic people and lastly mixed (autistic/non-autistic) dyads. Interestingly, taking an outside perspective, when rating observed rapport between interaction partners, homogeneous dyads of autistic individuals were rated highest concerning observed rapport, followed by homogeneous dyads of non-autistic individuals and lastly, again, mixed (autistic/non-autistic) dyads, supporting the double empathy theory.

Beyond specific aspects of functioning, Gernert et al. suggest that empirical and theoretical considerations should move toward a more comprehensive outlook on autism. The authors' Generalized Adaptation Account suggests potential connections between findings from genetics, neurobiology, endocrinology, cellular and neuronal connectivity levels. In this framework, aberrations of neurodevelopmental signaling pathways link up to alterations of neuronal connectivity with cascading effects on neuroendocrine dysregulations and impact on circadian functioning. Consequently, chronic distress and hyperactivation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis result in oxytocinergic downregulation linked to social functioning. This unifying account tries to capture both the complexity of presentation of autism and, in particular, its heterogeneity.

Characterization of Autism

Two articles in this Research Topic were concerned with better characterizing different aspects of autism. Li et al. used the Griffiths Mental Development Scales to characterize the cognitive, motor and social profiles of 398 autistic children (18–96 months old) in China. Findings suggested that many children showed an unbalanced profile (e.g., boys scored better than girls on eye-hand coordination, performance and practical reasoning; and differences in motor behavior became more pronounced with age). Significant aspects to take from this study were the characterization of autistic children in different regions of the world and the need to identify a child's strengths and challenges to develop personalized support.

Characterization can also be useful for predicting the future outcomes of autistic children. Forbes et al. predicted adult outcomes using an impressive dataset of participants who had been repeatedly assessed through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Only verbal and non-verbal IQ, as well as daily living skills, could be confidently predicted from childhood data while prediction of other aspects (e.g., behavior, adult well-being, depression) was more difficult. Importantly, the authors discuss that views on what constitutes good adult outcomes for autistic children can vary. As acknowledged by the authors, this is clearly a challenging and evolving subject where stakeholder involvement is required.

Sensory Experiences, Perception and Movement

Awareness of the significance of sensory experiences and perceptual processing on the lives of autistic individuals has increased in recent years ( Torres and Donnellan, 2015 ; Autistica, 2016 ). In this Research Topic, we featured three perceptual studies that all employed rigorous, well-controlled methods to examine this topic. Mihaylova et al. used detailed psychophysical methods to progress understanding of mid-level visual processing in autistic children and adolescents. Results suggested that atypical global grouping (studied in a contour integration task), may be due to higher stimulus-dependent noise in the autistic group, leading to difficulties rejecting background noise and detecting the target.

The effect of low-mid level perceptual differences on higher level perceptual processes was elegantly shown across two studies by Lebreton et al. Here, the authors demonstrated how the commonly reported autistic preference for local compared to global detail impacted upon implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) memory. This is a fascinating finding requiring replication, but has implications for understanding how perceptual style in both autistic and non-autistic individuals affects later memory recall.

Finally, Silver et al. examined whether the intense interests frequently observed in autistic individuals were related to visual processing changes for objects within that category. Contrary to expectations, there were no differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals in visual search abilities for images associated with intense interests. As such, despite enhanced time spent by autistic individuals gazing at images related to an interest, this did not seem to translate to a direct impact on visual processing ability. Linking back to Lebreton et al. , we wonder whether the degree of local-global bias in the participants may mediate any relationship between visual experience and visual search ability.

In another fascinating study featured in our Research Topic, Parmar et al. conducted qualitative work with a multidisciplinary team of Optometrists, autism researchers and autistic individuals, using focus groups to provide an in-depth understanding of visual sensory issues. As well as providing a rich description of sensory experiences, the researchers highlighted how visual issues had significant negative impacts on personal well-being and daily life, but also some positive aspects (e.g., detecting details that non-autistic individuals may overlook).

Another article in our Research Topic, by Buckle et al. , is the first to highlight Autistic Inertia—a debilitating difficulty of acting on intentions. The article was led by an autistic researcher (based on calls for research on this topic from autistic individuals) and the research highlighted how significant, and potentially common, Autistic Inertia is. Using qualitative methods, the study provided a detailed description of Inertia and the impact of it on autistic people's lives. Two particularly revealing findings were the benefit of other people in helping the individual to overcome being “stuck” and participants wanting to interact with others, but being unable to initiate interaction (which may be interpreted as a lack of social interest).

New approaches in the study of linguistic properties of autism were reported in this Research Topic. Marini et al. combined macrolinguistic (pragmatic, contextual processing) and microlinguistic (word and sentence processing) perspectives of language, which have traditionally been considered independently, showing that morphological and grammatical difficulties were related. Such findings suggest a relationship between difficulties in message planning and organization, which might impact children's grammatical production skills.

New avenues in language research were also highlighted by Sturrock et al. when considering potential gender differences in linguistic studies of autistic people. From a synthesis of previous literature, the authors concluded that there was a very specific profile of language and communication strengths and weaknesses for autistic females without intellectual disability, when compared to both autistic males and non-autistic females. The authors discuss how poorer recognition of autism in females might be influenced by female advantages in aspects of linguistic functioning (but see Lehnhardt et al., 2016 ).

In a further paper, Williams et al. demonstrated a new approach to studying communication differences between autistic and non-autistic people using relevance theory. This account posits that optimal communication is based on shared and mutually recognized relevance of utterances, which might be mismatched between autistic and non-autistic people when communicating due to differences in experiences of the world. This theoretical approach feeds into the discussions of double-empathy theory (see Theories and mechanisms).

Support and Interventions

Leadbitter et al. 's article proposes that early intervention research could and should be aligned with principles derived from autistic self-advocacy and the neurodiversity movement. Engagement with these principles would lead to, for example, intervention research focusing on changing environments (as opposed to changing autistic people), as well as intervention researchers respecting autistic developmental trajectories and priorities for intervention targets.

In line with this approach, Di Renzo et al. examined the interactions between autistic children and their parents during play, finding that parents who were more accepting of their children's autism diagnosis and who were better able to see things from their children's perspective, were more likely to be attuned with their children during play. Such work highlights the central role of parents as partners in supporting autistic children, and the importance of shared understanding between autistic people and their non-autistic communicative partners (see section Theories and Mechanisms).

Two further studies focused on the important role of parents. Papadopoulos et al. considered support and intervention for young disabled people, 41% of whom had a primary diagnosis of autism. The authors concluded that, to ensure that organized physical activities met the needs of young disabled people, there was a need for activities to be enjoyable, for the participation of siblings and parents to be promoted, and for low-income families to be supported to participate. This work again emphasizes that autism interventions can focus on changing the structures around young people, as opposed to changing the young people themselves.

Relatedly, Devenish et al. examined the effects of lower rates of community participation by autistic young people on their caregivers. Devenish et al. found that if caregivers perceived community supportiveness to be low, this predicted caregiver feelings of isolation. Findings were interpreted within a social model of disability, highlighting how autistic people are disabled by barriers in society.

Not all intervention studies featured in this Research Topic found positive effects of interventions (moving away from the publication bias that once dominated published intervention research). Brehm et al. conducted an initial evaluation of a training programme for parents of autistic children without intellectual/language impairments. The purpose of the evaluation was to evaluate how acceptable the training was for parents, and the results were positive with hardly any parents dropping out of the training programme. Yet a variety of primary outcome measures (e.g., quality of life, social communication) did not show significant improvement. Brehm et al. note that these findings can be useful for directing future work on such interventions.

Similarly, Saul and Norbury presented an alternative to Randomized Controlled Trials for research with rare/complex populations. Drawing on a research study with minimally verbal autistic children, the authors tested the efficacy of a parent-mediated app designed to support speech production, via Randomization Tests and Between Case Effect Sizes. As with Brehm et al.'s study, there was no significant effect of the intervention. Yet the research still made an important contribution to the literature; notably demonstrating the importance of robust experimental design and replicable approaches, as well as showing how it is possible to conduct rigorous intervention research with rare or complex samples.

It was also encouraging to see an example of a high-quality case study featured in the article by Courchesne et al. , which critically considered the role of interests and strengths in autism, particularly highlighting that these aspects do not necessarily link with academic potential. Courchesne et al. discussed an autistic teenager, C.A., who had above-average musical and calendar calculation abilities, along with pronounced difficulties in other areas (e.g., receptive and expressive language disorder). This discrepancy was found to lead to anxiety, frustration and some behavioral issues due to pressure to use his relative strengths to learn academic skills. Yet, an intervention package that focused on expectations, anxiety and emotional regulation through psychiatric intervention, parental coaching and psychotherapy, improved well-being and behavior. Courchesne et al. caution that while strengths and interests can lead to emotional well-being they should be seen as independent from adaptive outcomes such as academic achievement.

Methods and Technologies

A key message from studies in this theme is the need to develop and validate more ecologically valid assessments of autistic characteristics. For example, Morrison et al. administered standardized measures of social cognition, social skill, and social motivation to autistic and non-autistic adults, and assessed whether these predicted “real-world” social interaction outcomes (measured using unstructured conversations with unfamiliar social partners). While autistic adults scored lower than their non-autistic peers on the three standardized social tasks and were evaluated less favorably during the unstructured social interaction, the links between performance on the standardized measures and unstructured interaction were minimal. The authors therefore question the utility of traditional measures of social performance in autistic people, calling for more ecologically valid assessments.

In line with this approach, Schaller et al. used mobile eye-tracking glasses during autism diagnostic assessments to record gaze behavior of autistic and non-autistic children and adolescents. The authors focused on the percentage of time spent looking at different areas of interest of the face and body of the interviewer and the surrounding space. Significant group differences were found, with non-autistic participants appearing to process faces and facial expressions in a holistic way focusing on the central-face region, whereas autistic participants tended to avoid this face region. The authors stress that the results are preliminary and in need of replication, but this represents an exciting avenue for further work using an ecologically valid methodology.

Conclusions and Future Directions

Illuminating psychological science on autism from different thematic perspectives has shown several directions we can observe in the field of psychological research. For example: researchers taking a broader perspective, by incorporating previously distinct areas or methods into comprehensive studies; pairing quantitative analysis with qualitative appraisal of experience; putting forward unifying theories spanning different fields; examining an autistic person's strengths and challenges and tailoring more personalized support; developing alternative methods for evaluating interventions in more complex populations; and the implementation of a participatory approach to research. We would like to thank the contributors for their varied and stimulating contributions and hope that this Research Topic stimulates further cutting-edge psychological research that benefits the autistic community.

Author Contributions

EG drafted a first version of the Editorial. EG, LC, and CF-W wrote sections of the manuscript. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Acknowledgments

We would particularly like to thank the authors and reviewers who contributed to this Research Topic for their valuable commitment to the field during such a trying time caused by the COVID pandemic.

Autistica (2016). Your Questions: Shaping Future Autism Research. Avalable online at: https://www.autistica.org.uk/downloads/files/Autism-Top-10-Your-Priorities-for-Autism-Research.pdf

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Lehnhardt, F. G., Falter, C. M., Gawronski, A., Pfeiffer, K., Tepest, R., Franklin, J., et al. (2016). Sex-related cognitive profile in autism spectrum disorders diagnosed late in life: implications for the female autistic phenotype. J. Autism Dev. Disord . 46, 139-154. doi: 10.1007/s10803-015-2558-7

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Torres, E. B., and Donnellan, A. M. (2015). Editorial for research topic “Autism: the movement perspective”. Front. Integr. Neurosci. 9, 1–5. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2015.00012

Keywords: autism, psychological research, cognition, perception, neuroscience, participatory research

Citation: Gowen E, Crane L and Falter-Wagner CM (2022) Editorial: Autism: Innovations and Future Directions in Psychological Research. Front. Psychol. 12:832008. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.832008

Received: 09 December 2021; Accepted: 22 December 2021; Published: 17 January 2022.

Edited and reviewed by: Irene Ceccato , University of Studies G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara, Italy

Copyright © 2022 Gowen, Crane and Falter-Wagner. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Emma Gowen, emma.gowen@manchester.ac.uk

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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A Guide to Identifying and Understanding Scientific Research About Autism

Whether you are an individual with autism or a parent to a loved one with an autism spectrum disorder, you may want to stay informed about scientific research related to ASD. You can find information on the internet and other media channels, but how accurate is that information? Knowing how to understand scientific research studies can help you find reliable and relevant information. 

This article is a tool to help you assess information about autism based on scientific principles. As you put these recommendations into practice, remember to use critical thinking and common sense when assessing any claim about autism. Combining an understanding of scientific research studies with your own powers of reasoning can help you: 

• Make evidence-based decisions
• Understand recommendations from your care team and discuss them knowledgeably
• Minimize overwhelm
• Advocate for yourself or your family member with autism. 

Good autism research – like all medical research – meets three criteria: It is based on scientific principles and procedures, it has been peer-reviewed, and the study is able to be replicated. We’ll explore each of these criteria in more detail below.

Special thanks to Anissa Ryland and the staff of The Johnson Center for Child Health and Development for helping to develop some of the guidelines and information included in this article. 

What is a peer-reviewed study?

Peer-review is a process that academic journals use to understand if the studies they publish are based on good research. Before including a study in their publication, the journal sends the research out to other experts in the field. 

Experts who were not involved in the original study check that the study design applies scientific principles and procedures. They also use their own knowledge of the subject to determine whether the results and conclusions make sense based on available data. The editor of the journal takes their recommendations into account when deciding whether to publish the study. 

Some scientific journals have been in print longer than others or are more respected in their field. Readers can use a metric called an impact factor to decide if the journal that printed a particular study is a reliable source of information. The Impact factor is the total number of times articles from that journal were cited, divided by the total number of citable articles in that journal during that span of time. 

The impact factors of various journals are calculated and printed yearly in Journal Citation Reports . You can find the current impact factor of most journals with a quick web search. Keep in mind that a journal must exist for at least two years before its impact factor can be calculated. 

Where to find research

Many groups, organizations, and individuals write about autism. Whenever you come across a new treatment or new information about autism, you can check the validity by seeking out original sources. 

Places to find original sources: 

• Google Scholar
• University websites
• Journal websites

Some of these research aggregation services are free, others cost money. For paid services, check with your local library to see if they can connect you with a free account. You can also ask your clinician to provide you with research related to specific treatments, comorbidities, and symptoms

Types of studies

You may come across several different types of studies as you read and learn about autism. Each study type can be used to investigate topics related to autism, but some have a wider application than others. Get to know the different study types so you can think critically about how the research applies to you or your child with autism. 

• Animal and Cell Studies – Observe and test animals or cell cultures. These types of studies provide initial insight, but the application to humans may not be clear. 
• Case Reports – A written record on a single subject. Each case study represents an individual experience. This can be a starting point for research. It does not prove that what worked for one individual will work for others. 
• Case Series – A group of case reports that track multiple subjects. Remember that correlation is not causation. That means that two things can happen around the same time, but that doesn’t prove one caused the other. 
• Case-Control Studies – Look at the experiences of two groups of subjects, one group with autism and one without. The investigation is retrospective, meaning it looks at experiences in the past and attempts to draw conclusions. Causation is hard to prove with this type of study.
• Cohort Studies – Track two groups, ex. One group of people with autism and one group without or one group that receives treatment and one that does not. It notes differences in outcomes for the two groups.
• Randomized Controlled Trials – Randomly assigns subjects to either a test group or a control group. The test group receives the treatment while the control group receives a placebo. This type of study can be blind (study subjects don’t know which group they’re in) or double-blind (experimenters also don’t know which group the subjects are in).
• Systematic Review – Compares and contrasts the results of several randomized controlled trials and draws conclusions based on the quality of the study and on their results. 

Assessing information about autism and autism treatments

The following questions will help you use what you’ve learned to assess information about autism and autism treatments. Remember that critical thinking skills are your most valuable tools in assessing any claim about autism spectrum disorder. 

What is the source of this information? Blog posts, books, pamphlets, social media posts, websites, news stories, or other non-journal sources can bring information to your attention, but it’s up to you to check their sources. Is the information based on studies and research or is it the opinion of the author?

Who performed this research? What people, groups, universities, or businesses were involved in this study? Do they have a track record of producing reliable autism research? 

Who funded this research? Does the researcher or institution have any conflicts of interest that I should be aware of? What businesses, funding sources, products, or services, might benefit from the results of this study?

Has the research been peer-reviewed? Does it appear in a peer-reviewed journal? What is the impact factor of that journal? 

Has it been replicated? Have other scientists used the same method to achieve the same results? If not, why not? Be cautious about accepting any claim that has not been tested by other researchers or studies.

What other works are cited in the study? Are the researchers basing their work on good science? Have they cited earlier studies published in peer-reviewed journals?

Reading and assessing biomedical research studies takes practice. Navigating autism research can be overwhelming at first, but critical thinking and common sense, along with the knowledge you’ve gained in this article, can help you assess information. Stop and think whenever you read a new statement about autism treatments, possible causes, or potential outcomes. Before acting on any new information go to the source to check the validity of the claim. 

For more on understanding autism research, watch this webinar from The Johnson Center.

Scientific Research Glossary

Autism and Sleep – Research Updates

autismAdmin 2024-04-17T17:37:25-05:00 April 16th, 2024 | Autism Spectrum Disorders , Sleep Issues , Ways to Help , Webinar |

Learn research updates on co-occurring sleep disturbances and autism. To participate in the study mentioned in the presentation, see: Participate in our Research - Sleep, Cognition and Neuropsychiatry (SCAN)

Animal study reveals clues that developmental vitamin D deficiency may be associated with gut alterations in autism

Melanie Glock 2024-04-28T15:44:50-05:00 September 25th, 2023 | News |

Vitamin D deficiency is strongly implicated as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and researchers in Australia report evidence that vitamin D deficiency during early development may increase the likelihood

New multi-national study adds to evidence linking alterations of the gut microbiome to autism

Melanie Glock 2024-04-28T15:46:00-05:00 August 29th, 2023 | News |

Strong new evidence linking alterations of the gut microbiome to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comes from a new multi-national study by James Morton and colleagues. In the study, researchers in North America,

Editorial: Revisiting Two Lesser-Known Teaching Strategies to Enhance Speech Production in Autism

Melanie Glock 2024-04-28T15:46:44-05:00 August 29th, 2023 | News |

In this editorial, I would like to shed light on two methods for improving the speech production of individuals on the autism spectrum, discuss potential neurological factors that may underlie their effectiveness,

Sleep problems in infancy associated with ASD, autism traits, and social attention alterations

Melanie Glock 2024-04-28T15:47:35-05:00 July 20th, 2023 | News |

A new study from the United Kingdom indicates that sleep problems in infancy may help to predict later social skills deficits, autism traits, and autism diagnoses in children. Jannath Begum-Ali and colleagues

Constipation in infancy associated with higher likelihood of autism diagnosis

Melanie Glock 2024-04-28T15:48:23-05:00 June 26th, 2023 | News |

More evidence linking autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to gastrointestinal problems comes from a study by researchers in Taiwan and the United States, who report that ASD occurs at an elevated rate in

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Children With Autism Carry Unique Gut Flora, Study Finds

The research, which builds on previous work, eventually may lead to a more objective diagnostic tool, scientists said.

By Teddy Rosenbluth

The process for diagnosing a child with autism heavily relies on a parent's description of their child’s behavior and a professional’s observations. It leaves plenty of room for human error.

Parents’ concerns may skew how they answer questionnaires. Providers may hold biases, leading them to underdiagnose certain groups . Children may show widely varying symptoms, depending on factors like culture and gender.

A study published Monday in Nature Microbiology bolsters a growing body of research that suggests an unlikely path to more objective autism diagnoses: the gut microbiome.

After analyzing more than 1,600 stool samples from children ages 1 to 13, researchers found several distinct biological “markers” in the samples of autistic children. Unique traces of gut bacteria, fungi, viruses and more could one day be the basis of a diagnostic tool, said Qi Su, a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a lead author of the study.

A tool based on biomarkers could help professionals diagnose autism sooner, giving children access to treatments that are more effective at a younger age, he said.

“Too much is left to questionnaires,” said Sarkis Mazmanian, a microbiome researcher at the California Institute of Technology. “If we can get to something we can measure — whatever it is — that’s a huge improvement.”

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144 comprehensive autism research paper topics that will help you.

July 28, 2021

Do you need autism research paper topics that will impress your educator to award you high grades? If yes, this article lists the best 140-plus ideas to consider for your papers and essays.

Simple  Autism Topics for Research Paper 

Perhaps, you want to write a paper about an easy topic. In that case, select the idea to work with from this category. Any of these topics can be a brilliant idea for an autism paper. Nevertheless, take your time to investigate it extensively, gather, and analyze data to develop a winning piece.

• Investigating the autism spectrum disorder’s prevalence
• Autism Diagnostic interview
• What are the primary causes of autism?
• Reasons for the increasing autism cases in children
• Effective learning and teaching methods for autistic children
• Mainstream education and autism
• Are there advantages of being autistic?
• What are the disadvantages of being autistic?
• Why are some individuals autistic while others are not
• Explain why some individuals have a good recall or memory skills
• What should people know about autism?
• Who are the top five most known autistic individuals in human history?
• How healthcare workers assist autistic persons in their daily lives
• What are humans yet to discover about autism?
• Discuss autism stories that people have shared on social media
• Describe the employment opportunities and limitations for autistic individuals
• Describe a treatment that can reduce autistic individuals’ disadvantages
• What is the primary cause of autism?
• What role does music play in the life of an autistic person?
• Explain autism diagnosis during the early stages
• Describe the educational programs for autistic persons
• What’s the average overview of an autistic person?
• Explain ways of improving autistic people’s interactions
• Explain an autistic individual’s behavior towards his family members?
• How the chemical brain of an autistic person differs from that of a non-autistic individual
• What are the most prominent research breakthroughs in autism?
• Why autistic persons struggle to socialize with others
• What normal individuals should learn from the brains of autistic persons
• Describe the characteristics of autistic persons
• Tips for training autistic persons when providing care
• Things caregivers should know about autism to do an excellent job
• How family members should behave towards autistic individuals

Autism Biology Topics Research Paper  Ideas

Students can also write autism biology papers and score top grades. If interested in autism biology, here is a list of topics to consider for your research paper. Any of these topics can be the basis of a debate because people have varying views towards them. You need sufficient and reliable information to support your argument.

• Is there sufficient evidence proving that environmental triggers are responsible for the rising autism cases?
• Why is western society reporting higher autism prevalence?
• Do literature and art help in raising awareness about autism?
• Reviewing films whose basis is an autism spectrum disorder
• How the media portrays autism and its effects
• Prominent public figures that lived with autism for years
• The impact of maternal age on autism
• Asperger’s syndrome and autism- An explorative study
• Analyzing the genome’s dark regions and their effect on autism mutation
• Gene expression control and its impact on autism mutation
• The connection between genetic variants and autism
• Obesity and autism- Is there a correlation?
• How a subtle genetic modification can affect an autistic person
• Autism and fragile x syndrome
• How brain homes affect autism
• Autism and vasopressin- What’s the link?
• Brain signature similarities with autism
• Investigating the unusual sensory response in an autistic person
• The effects of the cerebellum on an autistic person’s social behavior
• Anybody that loves biology will be interested in reading a paper on any of these ideas. However, make sure that your essay is on-point.
• Thought-Provoking Autism Controversial Issues to Write About
• Perhaps, you want to research and write about a thought-provoking topic about autism. In that case, consider one of these issues.
• Is autism a disorder or a difference?
• Timeline and history of autism
• Why are autism rates increasing dramatically?
• Things that scientists have disproven about autism causes
• Questionable and risky autism treatments
• The best autism treatments
• Should autistic children have a unique educational setting?
• Which are the best educational options for autistic children?
• Autistic children should have a unique home
• Autism and vaccinations- Is there any relations?
• Ways to raise autism awareness in society
• Changing the autistic children’s future through early interventions
• How educators can help children with autism
• Ways to help autistic children with uncooperative parents
• Can occupational therapy help autistic children?
• DSM-V and autism
• A comparison of autistic children’s and normal kids’ educational opportunities
• Ways health officials can convince their clients that vaccines don’t cause autism
• Should schools vaccinate children that haven’t received their shots because parents believe they cause autism?

Research Paper Topics Dealing with Autism  and Education

Experts recommend teaching people and caregivers about autistic persons. Through training, educators, parents, and other people can know how to treat autistic persons. Here are good research paper topics on autism and education. These topics relate expert advice with parenting and the daily life of autistic individuals. But like the other ideas, they need thorough research to come up with impressive papers.

• Ways to solve autistic children’s daily problems
• Why is autism research necessary?
• Differences in education among autistic kids and normal children
• Different autism types
• Understanding the struggles of students suffering from autism
• What are the possible autism causes?
• Managing parenting challenges when you have an autistic child
• Ways to improve autistic children’s communication skills
• How to enhance autistic kids’ coping skills
• Addressing negative behaviors among autistic children
• Increasing autistic children’s play skills
• Ways to diagnose autism early in children
• Ways to increase autistic children’s independence
• Effects of autism in a single child on family members
• Improving self-help among autistic children
• How autism affects different developmental realms
• Learning in autistic kids
• Resources available for autistic people
• Effects of autism on the learning process
• Why do parents need training about autism?

Autism Research Analysis Paper Topics 

Perhaps, you want to autism research topics you can analyze extensively in your paper or essay. If so, consider these ideas for your project. You can analyze any of these research topics on autism in your paper with proper references to impress the educator and earn the top grade in your class.

• Qualities of an effective autism treatment plan
• Autism signs that every parent should know
• Reviewing autism in various regions
• Analyzing the probability of medical treatment causing autism
• Analysis of the effects of genetics on autism
• Investigating the impact of an autistic person on a standard individual
• Analysis of autism history
• Ways adult patients can manage autism
• Analyzing the employment opportunities for autistic people
• Exploring parental education benefits in managing autism in children
• Analyzing the variations in social implications depending on autistic spectrum disorder and gender
• Analysis of the support autistic people need at the workplace
• Examining the socio-cultural effects of autism on understanding and behavior
• Do autistic children need special schools?- A detailed analysis
• Investigating the contextual drives affecting autism understanding in society
• Analyzing the peer group role in autism
• Investigating the increasing autism prevalence in western society
• Post-traumatic stress disorder- Analyzing its impact on parents with autistic kids
• Exploring the cross-cultural experiences of autistic persons
• Analyzing the role technology can play in improving autistic people’s social skills

Autism Research Questions 

One of the best ways to develop good research topics is by asking questions about the subject you find interesting. For instance, you can brainstorm autism thesis topics by asking questions about this illness. Here are some of the queries you can ask about autism, which can form the basis of your paper.

• Which is the most accepted theory about autism spectrum disorder’s pathophysiology?
• How can caregivers improve service delivery when dealing with autistic persons?
• How can ordinary people understand sensory processing among autistic persons?
• How can companies encourage ordinary people to support autistic employees?
• How can employers implement person-centered intervention to support autistic employees?
• How can companies maximize the performance and potential of autistic people at the workplace?
• How can hospitals improve autism diagnostic procedures?
• How can hospitals ensure the appropriate diagnosis of autistic adults?
• How can family members and parents provide quality care for autistic kids?
• How can ordinary people support families and parents with autistic kids?
• What support is ideal for autistic children?
• Which environments are suitable for helping autistic persons achieve quality education and life skills?
• How can society help autistic persons get the most from life?
• Which interventions can enhance mental health in autistic persons?
• How can caregiver reduce mental health issues among autistic persons?
• How can caregivers adapt mental health interventions for autistic individuals?
• Which interventions work in developing language skills in autistic persons?
• How can society support social care for autistic adults?
• Which intervention work in reducing anxiety among autistic people?
• Is autism treatable?
• Who suffers more, an autistic child or their family?
• What facts do most people not know about autism?
• Which brain part does autism damage?
• Does autism escalate with age?
• Is autism the same as brain damage?
• How can you tell that your kid is not autistic?
• Can a person inherit autism?
• Does an autistic person have a higher risk of having an autistic child?
• Is autism a disability?
• How does level I differ from level II autism?
• Which questions does the doctor ask during an autism assessment?

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Lab-grown 'minibrains' may have just confirmed a leading theory about autism

Excessive brain growth in the womb has been directly tied to autism in toddlers in new research involving lab-grown "minibrains."

Scientists may have confirmed a theory about the origins of autism by creating miniature, 3D replicas of human brains .

These tiny brains, derived from the stem cells of toddlers, were grown to show what the childrens' brains would have looked like as they developed in the womb.

In the new study, published May 25 in the journal Molecular Autism , scientists drew stem cells from the blood of 10 toddlers with autism and six toddlers without the disorder. At the time, the kids were between 1 and 2 years old. Using growth-inducing chemicals, the researchers grew " minibrains ," or brain organoids, from these stem cells in the lab. As they grew, the organoids accurately captured key aspects of how the human brain develops and functions in the womb. 

Because each organoid was grown from a toddler's own tissue, it could be considered a mini version of a given child's brain during the first trimester of pregnancy — as if the scientists had turned back the developmental clock. 

Related: 'Butterfly effect' may explain some genetic causes of autism

The researchers tracked how the size and growth of these organoids changed during these early stages of embryonic development. 

In addition, they assessed the severity of each toddler's present-day autism symptoms, including their ability to pay attention to and communicate with others, their language skills and their IQ. The team also took scans of the toddlers' actual brains to look at the activity of different cells, especially those in brain regions associated with social skills and language. 

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The team found that the brain organoids of toddlers with autism grew almost three times faster than those without autism, becoming "significantly" enlarged by around 40% between roughly the first and second month of pregnancy, compared with the control group. The researchers also flagged an overall trend: The larger the brain organoid was, the more severe the social symptoms of autism were in the respective toddler. 

Previous studies, including research conducted by the authors of the new study, have linked increased brain size in the early years of life to the severity of social symptoms in people with autism. However, this latest research provides a direct link between symptom severity and brain size in individual toddlers, rather than highlighting trends within a group. 

"These new findings add interestingly to their [the study authors'] previous work," said Dr. Jonathan Green , a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Manchester in the U.K., who was not involved in the study. The new research suggests a "quantitative association" between the degree of brain overgrowth seen in the womb and the degree of later autism symptoms, Green told Live Science in an email. 

The results could "potentially add to our knowledge about neural aspects of autism," he added. "It will be very interesting to see if these findings can be replicated by others."

In a separate experiment conducted in the same study, the team also discovered that a higher growth rate and larger size of the brain organoids in toddlers with autism were tied to increased activity in a gene called Ndel1. This gene codes for a protein that helps regulate embryonic brain development , so the scientists said it's likely that dysfunction in Ndel1 partly drives the excessive brain growth seen in autism. 

"Determining that NDEL1 was not functioning properly was a key discovery," Alysson Muotri , co-senior study author and a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, said in a statement . 

The team studied only 16 toddlers, so the study was fairly small. However, these kinds of experiments are "incredibly laborious and expensive," so this is a "pretty impressive dataset," Dr. Laura Andreae , a reader in developmental neuroscience at King's College London who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email. 

— Rates of autism diagnosis in children are at an all-time high, CDC report suggests

— Brain differences tied to autism can be detected in the womb

— This brain structure may grow too fast in babies who develop autism

Social symptoms are not the only component of autism. For instance, many people with the condition may also experience symptoms such as repetitive behaviors, delayed movement skills and anxiety, which were not assessed in the new study. This may limit how well the findings generalize to additional people. 

Nevertheless, looking forward, the team aims to identify more genes that could be driving excessive brain growth in autism. They hope that, someday, this will lead to the development of new therapies for the disorder. 

Ever wonder why some people build muscle more easily than others or why freckles come out in the sun ? Send us your questions about how the human body works to [email protected] with the subject line "Health Desk Q," and you may see your question answered on the website!

Emily is a health news writer based in London, United Kingdom. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Durham University and a master's degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience from Oxford University. She has worked in science communication, medical writing and as a local news reporter while undertaking journalism training. In 2018, she was named one of MHP Communications' 30 journalists to watch under 30. ( [email protected] ) 

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Intervention Study for Autistic Teens in 11th/12th Grades

What's the study about.

Our teams at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill TEACCH are conducting a research study, sometimes known as a clinical trial or clinical study, to learn more about treatments that lead to a successful transition from high school to adulthood for autistic teens. Teens and their caregiver will be randomized to participate in either a weekly social skills intervention or a daily living skills intervention. Teens will be followed until after high school graduation to examine whether these interventions impact outcomes in college, work, independent living, and overall quality of life.

Who can participate?

Teens must meet the following criteria: (1) Have a diagnosis of autism (medical or educational); (2) Be enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade (or deferred graduation); (3) Have an IQ >70; and (4) Have challenges in daily living skills (e.g., personal hygiene, cleaning, cooking, managing money).

The teen’s parent/caregiver will also participate.

What will participants be doing?

This study includes 1 in-person visit to either Cincinnati, Ohio or Chapel Hill, NC lasting approximately 2 hours. If eligible, teens and their caregivers will be randomized to 15-week intervention (daily living skills or social skills) that will be conducted via telehealth (e.g., Zoom). There will also be 3 telehealth outcome assessment visits.

Teens will: • Complete assessments at baseline, post, 6-month follow-up, and post-high school graduation visits • Answer questionnaires at each assessment visit • Attend virtual intervention sessions (15 weeks) • Complete a phone diary at 3 time points (baseline, post, 6-month follow-up)

Parents/caregivers will: • Complete interviews with staff at baseline, post, 6-month follow-up, and post-high school graduation visits • Answer questionnaires at each assessment visit • Attend virtual intervention sessions (15 weeks)

Caregivers and teens will be given a consent form that thoroughly explains the details of the study. A member of the study staff will review the consent form to make sure that any questions are answered.

Why is this important?

We hope to learn more about how interventions for autistic teens can build skills that are critical for the transition from high school to the adult world. In particular, daily living skills have been linked to a positive outcome in adulthood, so targeting these skills in adolescents may have long lasting effects.

Quick Facts

Researchers : Amie Duncan, Ph.D (PI at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital); Laura Klinger, Ph.D. (site PI at UNC Chapel Hill – TEACCH) Institution: : Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center & University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill TEACCH Learn More

Intervention study for autistic teens

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – Cincinnati, Ohio; UNC Chapel Hill TEACCH Autism Center, Chapel Hill, NC

INTERESTED? Contact: [email protected] Ends December 27, 2027

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More Research studies from this topic: Interventions

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Efficacy and Safety of Diet Therapies in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Affiliations.

• 1 Graduate College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
• 2 Tianjin Children's Hospital (Children's Hospital of Tianjin University), Tianjin, China.
• 3 Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin, China.
• 4 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment, Tianjin, China.
• 5 Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin, China.
• PMID: 35359629
• PMCID: PMC8963985
• DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.844117

Objective: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder, with a rapid increase in recognition over the past decade. Interest in alternative therapies is growing annually, such as dietary therapies including gluten-free and/or casein-free diet, and the ketogenic diet. However, there is no consensus on the efficacy and safety of dietary therapy in children with ASD up to now. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of these diet interventions for children with ASD based on a meta-analysis of global data.

Methods: Seven databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, VIP, CNKI, and Wanfang) were searched according to the established inclusion criteria, from the inception of the databases to August 18, 2021. The Cochrane Bias risk assessment tool was intended to assess the quality of the included studies. Review Manager 5.4 software was used as an efficacy analysis tool of the included studies, taking the core autistic symptoms and scales of ASD as therapeutic efficacy evaluations.

Results: In total, 7 RCTs with 338 participants were finally obtained. All studies assessed the association between core autistic symptoms and therapeutic diet, showing a statistically significant effect (standard mean difference (SMD) of -0.51, 95% confidence interval (Cl): -0.81 to -0.21), in which two studies which followed the GFD diet reported significant reductions in social behaviors (SMD of-0.41, 95% Cl: -0.75 to -0.06), showing no correlation with the length of the interventions ( P < 0.05). Two studies were performed in KD diet suggested a significant effect in core symptoms (SMD of -0.67, 95% Cl: -1.04 to -0.31). No statistically significant changes were observed in the GFCF diet, GFD diet, cognition, communication, and stereotypical behaviors subgroups (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The results of a meta-analysis suggest that diet therapies can significantly ameliorate core symptoms of ASD, and GFD diets are conducive to improving social behaviors. Although the results suggest the effectiveness of dietary therapy for ASD, limited by the small sample size of RCTs, more well-designed, and high-quality clinical trials are needed to validate the above conclusions.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42021277565.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders; childhood; gluten-free and casein-free diet; gluten-free diet; ketogenic diet; meta-analysis.

Copyright © 2022 Yu, Huang, Chen, Fu, Wang, Pu, Gu and Cai.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Flow diagram of selected studies.…

Flow diagram of selected studies. CNKI, China National Knowledge Infrastructure; VIP, China Science…

Risk of bias summary.

Meta-analysis results and scales for…

Meta-analysis results and scales for clinician-reported core symptoms. GARS (-2), Gilliam Autism Rating…

Meta-analysis results and scales for dietary intervention. GFCF, gluten-free and casein-free diet; GFD,…

Meta-analysis results and scales for the duration. GARS (-2), Gilliam Autism Rating Scale…

Meta-analysis results and scales for social behaviors. ATEC, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist; GARS-2,…

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