https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new study identifies significant gaps in judges' knowledge about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which can lead to inequities in how people with this disorder are treated in legal settings. The study recommends remedies to address these shortcomings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-california-state-court-gaps-autism.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:30:01 EST news689607677 A research team from the Department of Psychiatry at Tohoku University, led by Dr. Zhiqian Yu and Professor Hiroaki Tomita, has uncovered compelling evidence that maternal perinatal depression—psychological distress occurring during pregnancy or postpartum—elevates the risk of autistic-related traits in toddlers, with a particularly strong impact on girls. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-maternal-perinatal-depression-autistic-traits.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:55:53 EST news689604902 Autism has long been viewed as a condition that predominantly affects male individuals, but a study from Sweden published by The BMJ shows that autism may actually occur at comparable rates among male and female individuals. The results show a clear female catch-up effect during adolescence, which the researchers say highlights the need to investigate why female individuals receive diagnoses later than male individuals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-autism-girls-boys-equal-previously.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:30:01 EST news689414361 A new population-based cohort study of more than 500,000 births in British Columbia offers reassuring evidence about the long-term safety of cesarean delivery and assisted vaginal delivery (with forceps or vacuum) when it comes to children's neurodevelopment. Published on Jan. 30, 2026, in JAMA Network Open, the study examined rates of ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and intellectual disability (ID) up to age 22, comparing outcomes among children whose births required medical intervention late in labor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-cesarean-vaginal-births-similar-term.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:30:02 EST news689257538 Autistic children may be nonverbal or not have the words or other typical communication strategies to clearly explain their feelings. Researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Sydney have found that hair cortisol levels may complement behavioral assessments for determining the impact of chronic stress. The research is published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-hair-cortisol-complement-behavior-gauge.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:20:01 EST news689253484 UCLA Health researchers have created a comprehensive map showing how eight different genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder affect early brain development, providing new insights into the ways diverse genetic causes may lead to shared features and symptoms of the disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-autism-mutations-diverse-genes-converge.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:10 EST news688814101 Exposure to wildfire smoke during the final months of pregnancy may raise the risk that a child is later diagnosed with autism, according to a new study led by Tulane University researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-exposure-wildfire-late-pregnancy-autism.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:01 EST news688055401 Most people take for granted which hand they use to reach for a cup of coffee or a puzzle piece. However, a new study out of York University suggests that for autistic individuals, which hand they use for various tasks is highly variable, which points to profound differences in the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-left-dominance-window-autistic-brain.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:45:38 EST news688049101 A new review of studies has found that taking Tylenol during pregnancy doesn't increase the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities—adding to the growing body of research refuting claims made by the Trump administration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-bolsters-evidence-tylenol-doesnt-autism.html Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:54:59 EST news687858831 Taking acetaminophen during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children. That is according to the most rigorous analysis of the evidence to date, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health, and led by researchers from City St George's, University of London. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-acetaminophen-pregnancy-autism-adhd-intellectual.html Fri, 16 Jan 2026 18:30:01 EST news687698281 A wider public conversation has arisen over whether it's time for a shift in how we think about categories of autism, amid rising interest in the disorder across the country. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-fresh-definition-autism.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:10:06 EST news687606729 For many children, toys are more than playthings, they're a way to feel understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-barbie-autism-aims-kids.html Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:24:15 EST news687522161 As families return to school-term routines, sleep difficulties often resurface. For many parents, particularly those raising children with neurodevelopmental conditions, melatonin has become a widely discussed option. Yet its growing use raises important questions about regulation, effectiveness and safety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-melatonin-childhood-problems-parents.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:28:48 EST news687101281 Social robots are efficacious and effective for children with autism, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in Science Robotics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-robot-therapy-beneficial-children-autism.html Tue, 06 Jan 2026 17:30:01 EST news686928419 Private equity firms have acquired more than 500 autism therapy centers across the U.S. over the past decade, with nearly 80% of those acquisitions occurring over a four-year span, according to a new study from researchers at the Brown University Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-private-equity-autism-centers-decade.html Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:00:01 EST news686576101 A new study in the lab of Jason Stein, Ph.D., modeled brain development in a dish to identify cells and genes that influence infant brain growth, a trait associated with autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-scientists-mini-brains-uncover-cells.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:48:37 EST news685723682 Yale School of Medicine (YSM) scientists have discovered a molecular difference in the brains of autistic people compared to their neurotypical counterparts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-molecular-difference-autistic-brains-imbalance.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:07:58 EST news685706822 Access to autism evaluations through specialty health care is notorious for long wait times across the United States. In Missouri, many families wait nearly a year for a diagnostic appointment. AI might be a solution to cutting the wait, according to researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ai-device-autism-access.html Fri, 19 Dec 2025 04:51:32 EST news685342262 A research team led by Prof. Xu Zhiheng from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has identified Tapt1, together with its partner Suco, as important genes for brain development. They play a vital role in maintaining the balance between protein synthesis and degradation. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-tapt1-gene-crucial-protein-healthy.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:12:25 EST news685033921 Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged that the search for autism's cause—a question that has kept researchers busy for the better part of six decades—would be over in just five months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-autism-genes-vaccines.html Sat, 13 Dec 2025 11:10:04 EST news684752932 A Japanese research team has successfully reproduced the human neural circuit in vitro using multi-region miniature organs known as assembloids, which are derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. With this circuit, the team demonstrated that the thalamus plays a crucial role in shaping cell type-specific neural circuits in the human cerebral cortex. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-lab-grown-neural-circuits-reveal.html Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:20:31 EST news684764402 The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its long-standing guidance about vaccines and autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-states-cdc-abandoned-science-advice.html Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:35:13 EST news684754501 A new analysis by the World Health Organization reaffirmed there is no link between vaccines and autism—contrary to theories being propagated in the United States. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-vaccines-autism.html Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:42:01 EST news684682847 Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often lose access to specialized care once they age out of pediatric services. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-adults-autism-clinical-center-national.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:40:02 EST news684582433 A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-involving-genes-environment-autism.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:30:15 EST news684599205 An international collective of researchers is delivering new insights into why having multiple psychiatric disorders is the norm rather than the exception. In a study published today in the journal Nature, the team provides the largest and most detailed analysis to date on the genetic roots shared among 14 conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-genetic-overlap-psychiatric-disorders-patients.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:12:39 EST news684601921 Offering screening for neurodivergence to people detained by the police could help ensure access to appropriate support and fairer treatment in the criminal justice system, say Cambridge researchers, after a study suggests that one in two individuals arrested and detained in London may have undiagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one in 20 may have undiagnosed autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-people-london-undiagnosed-adhd.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:00:04 EST news684482919 A new study from City St George's, University of London has found that people's newspaper reading habits are a reliable predictor of their attitudes towards autism, even when many other factors such as age, education, political views and personal experiences are taken into account. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-explores-link-newspaper-attitudes-autism.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 04:12:16 EST news684475921 A new study shows that children born preterm who are later diagnosed with autism often present with more extensive support needs and a higher number of co-occurring conditions than autistic children born at full term. Surprisingly, however, the researchers found no differences in genetic variants across the genome, nor in specific genes already linked to autism, between the groups—a result that contradicted their initial hypothesis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-autistic-children-born-preterm-complex.html Thu, 04 Dec 2025 20:10:03 EST news684086874 For decades, health-related statements by major professional health associations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) agreed with those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because both relied on the same body of scientific knowledge, much of it funded by the federal health sector. However, the public can no longer assume that the CDC and major public health organizations are on the same page. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-americans-guidance-ama-cdc-vaccine.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:15:38 EST news683979302