1. Ghobadi A, Wolfer P, Durrleman S. Multimodal Communication in Autism Is Reorganized, Not Reduced: Evidence From Speech and Gesture Across Four Languages. Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2026; 11: 23969415261485091.

Speech and gesture form an integrated communicative system, yet how this system operates in autism, and whether it varies across languages, remains unclear. We examined narrative production in 88 children (44 autistic, 44 neurotypical [NT]), matched on age, socioeconomic status, and nonverbal IQ, acquiring English, French, German, or Spanish, using a structured storytelling task (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS-2 Monkey Story). Speech and gesture were analyzed along parallel dimensions of amount, diversity, and complexity. Autistic children produced comparable speech amount and lexical diversity to NT peers but differed in complexity. Critically, autistic children produced gestures more frequently, with greater diversity and complexity, including gestures conveying additional semantic information. This pattern indicates that gesture contributes meaningful information alongside speech. Cross-linguistic analyses revealed limited variation in speech but robust language-related differences in gesture across both groups. These findings are consistent with a reorganization of multimodal communication in autism rather than a reduction, highlighting gesture as an integral component of communicative expression across languages.

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2. Hodt G, Wergeland GJH, Skjeldal O, Isaksen J, Holten-Andersen M, Bryn V, Posserud MB. Pica, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and rumination disorder in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. J Eat Disord. 2026; 14(1).

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased risk of co-occurring eating disorders such as pica, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and rumination disorder (RD). The aim of the current systematic review was to synthesize and appraise the existing literature of pica, ARFID and RD in children with ASD regarding occurrence, diagnostic assessment, clinical pathways, intervention and the quantity and design of the included studies. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched up to January 12th, 2026. Inclusion criteria were peer reviewed studies in English, age < 18 years, sample of n ≥3 and diagnoses according to DSM-IV/DSM-5, or ICD-9/ICD-10 or the upcoming ICD-11. Eating disorders describing ARFID symptoms or ARFID phenotypes without a formal diagnosis were excluded. RESULTS: The search strategy resulted in a total of 8,678 potentially eligible articles, of which 23 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Ten studies examined comorbid ASD and ARFID, twelve ASD and pica and one ASD and rumination disorder. The included studies indicated an increased risk of pica and ARFID in children with ASD, with potentially severe adverse outcomes appearing responsive to early detection and intervention. RD may still be underrecognized and understudied in ASD. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms a substantial co-occurrence of ASD and eating disorders in which concerns regarding weight and body shape are not the primary drivers. However, there is a scarcity of studies, and the studies have small cohorts and lack standardized diagnostic assessment and treatment. Early detection of these eating disorders may improve clinical outcome. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to experience feeding and eating difficulties than children without ASD. Some of these difficulties may meet criteria for eating disorders such as pica, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and rumination disorder. These eating disorders are not driven by body shape and weight concerns, but can still affect nutrition, growth, physical health, and daily functioning.This systematic review examined published research on pica, ARFID, and rumination disorder in children with ASD. We identified 23 studies that met inclusion criteria. Most studies focused on pica or ARFID and only one on rumination disorder. Many studies included small numbers of participants and used different methods for diagnosis and assessment, making comparisons difficult. There was also limited research on treatment approaches and long-term outcomes.Although research is still limited, the findings suggest that early detection and treatment may improve outcomes for children with ASD and these eating disorders. Greater awareness of their coexistence may help support earlier recognition and referral. However, more research is needed to fill the knowledge gap on children with ASD and co-occurring pica, ARFID and rumination disorder. eng.

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3. Kim YS, Liu X, Chang J, Koh YJ, Kim J, Choi Y, Cho YJ, Fombonne E, Leventhal BL. Cumulative Incidence and Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder. JAMA Pediatr. 2026.

IMPORTANCE: Between the 1980s and 2020s, reported autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence has increased markedly, raising public concern. However, most estimates rely on administrative or service-based data vulnerable to diagnostic shifts, service-related ascertainment, and policy-driven incentives. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether 7-year cumulative incidence and prevalence of ASD at age 7 years changed across consecutive birth cohorts. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective population-based screening and diagnostic assessment was conducted in 12 consecutive birth cohorts in South Korea among children born from January 1998 to December 2010 and ascertained at age 7 years between January 2005 and December 2017. All children aged 7 years entering elementary schools constituted the target population. Among more than 62 000 children, 2077 screened positive and were invited for detailed evaluation, and 881 completed comprehensive diagnostic assessments. Data were analyzed from January 2024 to July 2026. EXPOSURES: Birth year and service-use status defined as any history of prior diagnosis or intervention. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Populationwide standardized screening used the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire; diagnostic assessments, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, cognitive testing, and record review, were administered to screen-positive children. Clinical consensus best-estimate diagnoses were determined according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, criteria. RESULTS: Across consecutive birth cohorts, both 7-year cumulative incidence and prevalence estimates of ASD at age 7 years remained stable, ranging from 1.9% (95% CI, 1.5-2.4) to 3.2% (95% CI, 2.7-3.8) for incidence and from 2.0% (95% CI, 1.5-2.6) to 3.4% (95% CI, 2.7-4.0) for prevalence, with no statistically significant increase or decrease. Female children with ASD were disproportionately represented among previously undiagnosed cases identified in general education settings and exhibited distinct phenotypic profiles and substantial unmet clinical needs. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings from this cohort study suggest that detection-related factors may contribute substantially to reported increases in ASD occurrence estimates. Interpretation of changes in ASD occurrence estimates should account for methodological differences, changing service-use patterns, and ascertainment context in service-based surveillance systems.

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4. Knaus TA, Beaton EA, Gumpert J. Inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity and language in children with autism spectrum disorder. Behav Brain Res. 2026; 516: 116480.

Prior studies have demonstrated a role for the corpus callosum, the largest fiber bundle connecting the two hemispheres, in left lateralization of language and language abilities. Aberrant corpus callosum size and intra-hemispheric language connectivity via the arcuate fasciculus (AF), and reduced language lateralization have been found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The relationship, however, between inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity of language regions has not been fully explored, particularly in ASD. Structural pathways were examined in 53 children with ASD and 49 typically developing children, 3-17 years. We examined inter- and intra-hemispheric pathways in relation to the neurocorrelates of language (i.e. connecting left and right inferior frontal gyrus and left and right posterior superior temporal gyrus and the AF) and language abilities. Inter-hemispheric pathway integrity was related to left and right AF in controls but showed a weaker relation with the right AF in ASD. However, there were no group differences in individual pathway integrity. In both groups, language was associated with left AF integrity. Further, differences in AF pathway integrity differed in the severely language impaired ASD subgroup. Our findings suggest possible decreased cohesiveness in the language network in ASD, with more studies needed examining the relation between various pathways, rather than just differences in individual pathways. Deficits in the integrity of the AF may be involved in prevention of typical development of language in ASD and should be further explored in individuals with ASD with severely impaired language.

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5. Kossyvaki L, Laskaraki E, Alevriadou A, Mevorach C, Shalev L, Herrera G, Vera L, Rachanioti E, López Fernández A, Baisa A, Surr M. Education professionals’ views on assessing and teaching attention skills in autistic pupils: a cross-national study. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2026; 270: 107794.

Although attention is not a diagnostic characteristic of autism, a growing body of research has identified attention and cognitive difficulties among autistic individuals. Consequently, the role of attention in supporting learning in autistic children has received increasing interest. However, it remains unclear whether this knowledge has been translated into practice in educational settings. Moreover, given the considerable variation in educational practices across countries, it is also unclear to what extent the importance of attention skills in autism is shared. The current study sought to address these questions by examining education professionals’ views on attention in autism in four countries: the UK, Greece, Israel, and Spain. A cohort of 674 education professionals working with autistic children completed an online survey. The results revealed that, across all four countries, education professionals considered attention skills to be highly important for the learning of autistic children, ranking them just below communication and social difficulties in terms of perceived importance. Overall, education professionals reported using similar ways, but to varying degrees, to assess and teach attention skills in autistic children. Importantly, however, professionals across all four countries expressed low levels of confidence in their knowledge of attention difficulties in autism.

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6. Mayes SD, Villalongo Andino M, Mattison RE, Waschbusch DA. Co-occurring Symptoms of ADHD, Autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Academic Impairment in Referred and Community Children. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2026; 48(3): 59.

Our study is the first to compare in referred and population-based samples the co-occurrence of four common problems for which children are referred for psychological evaluations (ADHD, autism, oppositional defiant disorder/ODD, and academic impairment). Youth were rated by their mothers on the Pediatric Behavior Scale, assessing symptoms of ADHD, autism, ODD, and academic impairment. The 1,601 referred children (6-16 years) were diagnosed with autism and/or ADHD. The population-based samples comprised 665 children 6-12 years and 376 re-evaluated a mean of 8 years later. All children had an IQ ≥ 70. Co-occurrence of ADHD, autism, ODD, and academic impairment symptoms was high in the referred and community samples. In the referred sample, 90% had symptoms of two or more of these diagnoses. In the community samples, the risk of two or more symptom elevations was as high as the risk of having only one. Overall, most youth with autism had ADHD-Combined and ODD, most youth with ADHD-Combined had ODD, and most youth with ADHD-Combined and ADHD-Inattentive had academic impairment. Ratings of inattention were more strongly associated with academic impairment than with autism and ODD, whereas hyperactive/impulsive ratings were associated with ODD. Across samples, inattention was a significant and unique correlate of academic impairment ratings and low reading and math achievement test scores, whereas hyperactivity/impulsivity was a unique correlate of ODD. Given high co-occurrence across clinical and community contexts, evaluations should routinely assess ADHD, autism, ODD, and academic impairment together so that treatable conditions that compound each other are identified and addressed.

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7. McNaughton KA, Yarger HA, Redcay E. Automated Quantification of Head Motion Synchrony in Peer Interactions of Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth. Dev Sci. 2026; 29(6): e70285.

Peer interactions take on increasing importance for youth in middle childhood and adolescence. Autistic youth face particular challenges interacting with non-autistic peers; thus, it is critical to understand factors that predict interaction enjoyment for autistic and non-autistic youth. One candidate predictor is interpersonal motion synchrony. Experimentally induced motion synchrony leads to interpersonal liking and closeness, but these outcomes from experimental synchrony may not generalize to synchrony that naturally occurs in interpersonal interactions. Computer vision approaches allow for non-invasive quantification of synchrony in developmental populations, and thus provide an opportunity to investigate the role of naturalistic motion synchrony in peer interactions between autistic and non-autistic youth. Autistic and non-autistic youth were paired into three dyad types (autistic with autistic, autistic with non-autistic, and non-autistic with non-autistic) and completed a brief video-recorded « getting-to-know-you » interaction. Head position was extracted frame-by-frame from video recordings using OpenPose. Cross-wavelet coherence was computed to quantify head motion synchrony. We found significant head motion synchrony in interacting (compared to time-scrambled) dyads, but levels of synchrony did not differ by dyad type. Across dyad types, we found evidence that head motion synchrony negatively predicts youth-reported enjoyment and positively predicts youth-reported discomfort in the interaction. Unlike prior findings of relations between synchrony and positive outcomes, here, synchrony predicted negative conversational outcomes. Thus, these findings add nuance to our understanding of the role of synchrony in naturalistic interactions. They also demonstrate the application of non-invasively quantifying synchrony in minimally structured peer interactions including autistic youth using computer vision.

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8. Pastorino GMG, Olivieri M, Aquino A, Mungo N, Suriano R, Operto FF. Neurocognitive endophenotypes in neurodevelopmental disorders: social cognition and executive functions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2026; 5: 1920753.

INTRODUCTION: Executive Functions (EF) and Social Cognition (SC) show strong interdependence, yet it remains unclear whether social difficulties in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 (ASD1) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), arise from shared EF related mechanisms or reflect disorder specific neurocognitive architectures. Comparative studies integrating both ecological and performance based measures remain scarce. This study aims to analyze the relationship between executive functions and Social Cognition skills across three matched developmental groups: Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 (ASD1), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Typical Development (TD). METHODS: A total of 123 children aged 6-11 years participated in the study: ASD1 (N = 42), ADHD (N = 43), and TD (N = 38). Participants were evaluated using the WISC-IV, BRIEF-2, and selected subtests of the NEPSY-II. Non-parametric group comparisons and multiple linear regression models within the clinical groups were performed. RESULTS: Both clinical groups showed widespread EF and SC impairments compared to TD peers, but with distinct profiles. ADHD exhibited pronounced deficits in inhibition and attentional control (Inhibition, Auditory/Visual Attention), whereas ASD1 showed greater impairment in SC (ToM, AR), cognitive flexibility (Shift), and rule-guided tasks (Response Set, DesignFluency). Regression models revealed disorder-specific EF-SC relationships: in ADHD, SC performance was strongly scaffolded by EF (Inhibition, Auditory Attention, Design Fluency; ToM model R(2) = 0.72). In ASD1, ToM was predicted primarily by AR and Response Set (R(2) = 0.55), indicating relative independence from basic inhibitory and attentional resources. CONCLUSIONS: Despite superficially similar social difficulties, ASD1 and ADHD display distinct patterns of association between EF and SC: executive-regulatory deficits in ADHD versus primary mentalizing and shifting impairments in ASD1. These findings support the need for transdiagnostic profiling to optimize early screening and to guide targeted, domain-specific rehabilitative and psychoeducational interventions for each diagnostic profile.

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