1. Autism spectrum disorder in children with spinal muscular atrophy type 1: Case series. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2026.

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2. Akkeçili Y. Autistic traits and panic disorder severity: a retrospective six-month follow-up study. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1753142.

Panic disorder (PD) exhibits marked clinical heterogeneity, and individual differences in autistic traits may contribute to variability in symptom severity and treatment course. This study examined whether autistic traits are associated with panic severity and agoraphobic avoidance during pharmacological treatment. In this retrospective observational study, 41 adults with DSM-5-diagnosed PD receiving guideline-based pharmacotherapy were followed over six months. Symptom trajectories were assessed using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) at baseline, one month, and six months, while autistic traits were measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) at the six-month visit. Linear mixed-effects models and repeated-measures ANCOVA examined associations between autistic traits and symptom burden while adjusting for age and sex. PDSS total and agoraphobia scores declined significantly over time (p <.001). Higher AQ total scores were associated with greater overall PD severity (p = .043) and more pronounced agoraphobic avoidance (p = .015) across assessments. Exploratory analyses indicated that attention switching and social skills were associated with overall severity, whereas reduced imagination was specifically linked to agoraphobic severity. Age was independently associated with agoraphobic severity but not with overall panic severity. No significant Time × AQ interactions were observed, indicating comparable symptom improvement across trait levels during the six-month treatment period. These findings suggest that elevated autistic traits are associated with persistently higher symptom burden during treatment without altering pharmacological response.

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3. Ali Moussa HY, Thomas R, Albatarni RH, Shin KC, Nour-Eldine W, Al-Shaban FA, Abdulla SA, Al-Shammari AR, Decock J, Park Y. Plasma Extracellular Vesicles (EVs)-Mediated Immune Dysregulation and Chronic Inflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2026; 46(1).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by repetitive behaviors, communication deficits, and frequent comorbidities. While both genetic and environmental factors contribute to ASD etiology, immune dysregulation has emerged as a potential environmental driver, suggesting a critical role of chronic inflammation in ASD pathophysiology. We previously demonstrated that ASD individuals display specific changes in plasma EV cargo which is associated with immune dysregulation. Here, we show that ASD EVs contain dysregulated cytokine profiles, including Gro-α/CXCL1, RANTES/CCL5, IFN-γ, stem cell growth factor beta (SCGF-β), and IL-15. Notably, ASD EVs enhance IFN-γ secretion from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) in direct co-cultures, which can be reversed by treatment with the anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone (Dex). Our findings suggest that ASD EVs contribute to chronic inflammation and highlight a potential therapeutic target for ASD intervention by mitigating ASD EV-induced chronic inflammation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10571-026-01723-9.

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4. Alruwaili NS, Al-Kuraishy HM, Al-Gareeb AI, Shokr MM, Bogari NM, Alhelfawi S, Alruwaili M, El-Saber Batiha G. Common molecular signatures: the role of BDNF, melatonin, and orexin in the ASD-schizophrenia continuum. Mol Biol Rep. 2026; 53(1).

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5. Correia de Farias P, Andrighetti Rossi M, Almeida Linhares L, Gurgel Fernandes Távora D, Nogueira Carvão Aguiar Valle Rossi N. Bilateral Compressive Optic Neuropathy Secondary to Severe Vitamin A Deficiency in an Adolescent With Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Neuroophthalmol. 2026.

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6. Deng YY, Zhong SS, Wang SH, Yin BY, Zhou X, Zou FY, Zhao JY, Ni YX, Luo XW, Shen LS, Zhang JL, Lin ZP, Zhou WY, Deng HZ, Guo RM. Ceruloplasmin deficiency drives a fusiform-centric lipid-myelin pathology underlying a visual subtype in autism. Mol Psychiatry. 2026.

Atypical visual processing (AVP) commonly occurs in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and contributes to social impairments, yet its neurobiological basis remains poorly characterized. To investigate potential lipid and myelin mechanisms, this study integrated multimodal MRI, quantifying lipid (proton density fat fraction) and myelin content (synthetic MRI) of 74 nuclei or brain regions, with serum profiling of iron, lead, and ceruloplasmin in 288 children, including 90 ASD with atypical visual processing (ASD‑AVP), 89 ASD without atypical visual processing (ASD‑AVP), and 109 typically developing (TD). The ASD-AVP subgroup exhibited a distinct co-pathology of elevated lipid and myelin centered on the fusiform gyrus (FG), accompanied by a unique positive lipid-myelin correlation (left: r = 0.47, right: r = 0.41). Serum analyses revealed decreased iron and ceruloplasmin and increased lead in ASD-AVP, and mediation analysis indicated that ceruloplasmin deficiency influences FG myelination via lipid pathways (35%-55%). Crucially, BTBR AVP-like mice recapitulated this phenotype with disorganized hypermyelination, whereas nAVP-like mice showed hypomyelination. A combined FG lipid-myelin signature strongly distinguished ASD-AVP from TD (AUC = 0.93) and ASD-nAVP (AUC = 0.87). Preliminary longitudinal follow-up in a subset of patients revealed that improvement in serum ceruloplasmin was associated with a reduction in FG lipid content and stabilization of myelin, paralleling clinical improvement. These findings identify a ceruloplasmin-driven, FG-centric lipid-myelin co-pathology, representing a maladaptive « inflammatory pseudo-compensation » mechanism specific to a visual ASD subtype, and offer novel biomarkers for biological subtyping and targeted interventions.

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7. Durak M, Teke H. Familial co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder and 47 XYY syndrome: revisiting the role of Y chromosome dosage in neurodevelopment. Psychiatr Genet. 2026.

We describe a rare familial occurrence involving two brothers: one diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the other with a postnatally confirmed 47 XYY karyotype exhibiting autistic traits below the diagnostic threshold. The younger sibling met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Level 3 criteria, with prominent deficits in communication and behavior. The older sibling, though not fully meeting ASD criteria, showed borderline cognitive abilities, attentional difficulties, and limited social reciprocity. Both received individualized education and pharmacologic support. This case raises questions about Y chromosome dosage effects in neurodevelopment, particularly the role of Y-linked genes such as NLGN4Y. The co-occurrence of ASD and XYY-related traits within the same family highlights the possibility of a shared vulnerability and adds to the sparse literature on male-specific genetic influences. Early screening and multidisciplinary interventions may benefit at-risk siblings, even in the absence of full syndromic presentation.

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8. Fernández M, Wojcik DZ, Díez E. Quality-of-life assessment in autistic adults with lower support needs: gaps and emerging challenges. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1756393.

Quality of life (QoL) has become a key construct in the planning of support for people with disabilities. In the case of autism spectrum disorder, particularly among adults with lower support needs, there is a notable lack of valid, sensitive, and culturally adapted tools to assess their well-being. Although this group often presents a functional cognitive and linguistic profile, they experience significant-and frequently overlooked-challenges in areas such as emotional regulation, social interaction, access to services, and community participation, all of which substantially impact their QoL. This mini-review examines the current state of knowledge in this field, addressing (1) conceptual models of QoL relevant to disability; (2) the main clinical, personal, and contextual determinants of QoL in adults with autism; (3) the limitations of currently available QoL instruments; and (4) the urgent need for new methodological developments participatory and sensitive to the specificities of autistic experience. Conceptual, psychometric, and representativeness gaps are identified, particularly regarding the additional challenges faced by women, people with diverse gender identities, and other groups historically underrepresented in autism research. In this regard, the present work highlights the need to advance toward more inclusive assessment models, sensitive to the profiles of individuals with autism without intellectual disability-grounded in participatory approaches that acknowledge the intersection of autism, gender, and other dimensions of diversity. The aim is to foster a more accurate understanding of well-being in this population and to advance person-centered practices and interventions that are more appropriately tailored to their specific and unique needs.

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9. Gao S, Lin Q, Liu X, Jia M, Zhang AY, Feng Z, Han L, Qiu N, Liu XX, Zhai H, Zhang H, Zhang J, Ding X, Zhang Y, Lu L, Shi J, Liu JJ, Wei YB. Mll5 haploinsufficiency attenuates microglial phagocytosis through dysregulated TREM2-SGK3-GSK3β signaling and recapitulates ASD-like behaviors in mice. Nat Commun. 2026.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors. Recent studies have indicated that heterozygous mutations in the mixed lineage leukemia 5 (MLL5) gene are implicated in ASD susceptibility and associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Mll5 haploinsufficiency in mice impairs microglial phagocytosis, drives neuronal hyperexcitability, and recapitulates core ASD-like behaviors. We also show that Mll5 acts as an epigenetic regulator, modulating microglial phagocytosis via the TREM2-SGK3-GSK3β signaling axis, which is associated with deficient glucose metabolism. Furthermore, microglia derived from individual with ASD exhibit parallel reductions in MLL5 expression and phagocytic function. By targeting this pathway, lithium chloride, a GSK3β inhibitor, rescues both microglial phagocytosis deficits and behavioral abnormalities in Mll5 haploinsufficienct mice. Our findings highlight MLL5’s critical role in ASD and its potential as a therapeutic target.

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10. Getzler I, Malachy A, Fremder A, Stolar O. Chronic Disease Incidence and Onset in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A 26-Year Matched Cohort Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition, yet long‑term patterns of chronic disease in autistic adults remain poorly characterized. We examined incidence and age at diagnosis of common chronic conditions in adults with ASD compared with matched controls. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study within Maccabi Health Services, including adults ≥ 18 years with documented ASD and 3:1 controls matched on age, sex, and socioeconomic status, with up to 26 years of follow‑up (1998-2024). Chronic physical and psychiatric conditions were obtained from validated registries. Time-to-event analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 6,965 adults with ASD and 20,871 controls; 51% of the ASD group versus 24.5% of controls had ≥ 1 chronic condition. Adults with ASD had higher hazards and earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (HR 1.47, ~ 9 years earlier), hypertension (HR 1.24, ~ 5 years earlier), overweight/obesity (HR 1.49, ~ 7.4 years earlier), inflammatory bowel disease (HR 1.60, ~ 5 years earlier), and schizophrenia (HR 2.10, ~ 4 years earlier). Overweight status amplified diabetes and hypertension risk in ASD but not controls. No significant differences were observed for COPD or cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with ASD experience earlier and greater chronic disease burden than matched peers, supporting earlier, tailored preventive care and systematic metabolic and psychiatric screening in this population.

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11. Gupta C, Poudel A, Wang JY, Hagerman R, Espinal G, Famula J, Schneider A, Tassone F, Rivera SM, Chuah CN, Hessl D. Use of Machine Learning to Identify Markers of Risk for Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome: A Preliminary Analysis. Ann Neurol. 2026.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine whether machine learning has the capacity to prospectively identify and predict the emergence of Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) among male fragile X premutation carriers (PCs). METHODS: We explored neuropsychological and motor evaluation metrics, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and health metrics in 103 male participants (72 PCs, mean = 60.4 years at enrollment) and 31 healthy controls (HCs; mean = 57.8 years at enrollment) across a total of 299 visits to identify optimal FXTAS risk markers. We compared different machine learning model and feature selection method combinations to identify the best features and models for (a) identifying patients with FXTAS and (b) for predicting which individuals were likely to later develop FXTAS in the study to date. Using an optimal set of features (including age, psychological symptoms, executive function and motor measures, IQ, body mass index (BMI), and structural brain measurements), we developed random forest binary classifiers for the 2 tasks. We split the dataset randomly into multiple different train and test splits and observed the average classification performance metrics across all the splits. RESULTS: The models showed promising ability to identify and pre-emptively predict the emergence of FXTAS and achieved a reasonable balance between precision and recall. Accumulation of body fat (BMI), executive function weaknesses, slower reaction time and dexterity, and mental health changes, are clinical factors that may significantly increase a carrier’s risk. Structural brain MRI measurements significantly added to the predictive power of the models. INTERPRETATION: These results suggest that machine learning has the potential to inform prediction of risk for FXTAS early, enabling better planning, timely interventions, and provision of necessary care. ANN NEUROL 2026.

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12. Hao Y, Yu A, Banker S, Schafer M, Zhang E, Barkley S, Trayvick J, Peters A, Thinakaran A, McLaughlin C, Gu X, Foss-Feig J, Schiller D. Reduced Affiliative Behavior in Autism Reflects Greater Dependence on Perceived Similarity. Res Sq. 2026.

Social difficulties in autism are often framed as reduced motivation, yet this account does not explain when and why autistic individuals affiliate. We show that autism selectively alters the architecture-not the presence-of similarity-based social behavior. Across two independent samples (online, n = 714; in-person, n = 225), autistic and neurotypical adults exhibited comparable context-dependent (selective) preference for relatively similar others. In contrast, autistic individuals showed a markedly stronger global coupling between perceived similarity and affiliative behavior, such that low perceived similarity was associated with sharply reduced affiliation. This effect was strongest among those with lower trait empathy. Structural MRI revealed dissociable contributions of hippocampal and posterior cingulate cortex volumes to this coupling across groups. These findings demonstrate that autism preserves similarity attraction while amplifying its role as a stable heuristic for social engagement, supporting a model in which social motivation is restructured toward similarity-dependent engagement rather than diminished.

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13. Harper AL, Sarver DE, Sly KF. Validation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT): A Replication Study of Diagnostic Accuracy. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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14. Lee A, Higgins S, O’Driscoll D, Mitchell JM, Walsh BH, O’Keeffe GW, Khashan AS, Maher GM. The Association Between Neonatal Jaundice and Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From the Millennium Cohort Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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15. Marinopoulou M, Mårland C, Gillberg C, Billstedt E. Mortality in Autism: A Longitudinal Register-Based Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: To examine mortality and causes of death in a population-based cohort of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to compare findings with a sample drawn from the general population. METHODS: A population-based cohort of individuals (N = 113) born 1962-1984 and diagnosed with ASD in childhood during the 1970’s and 1980’s was followed up through register between 2000 and 2023. Most individuals were diagnosed with co-occurring intellectual disability (ID). The group was compared to an age- and sex-matched group (N = 1130) from the general population. Data for both groups were obtained from the National Cause of Death Register in Sweden. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to calculate the survival distributions of the participants with ASD and the comparison group, and Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate Hazard ratios for mortality. RESULTS: During the study period (2000-2023) 9.7% of the ASD group and 2.7% of the comparison group had died, p < .001. The ASD group had a higher risk of mortality than the comparison group (Hazard Ratio = 3.77, 95%CI = 1.89-7.52, p < .001). Mortality did not differ significantly between males and females in the ASD group. Significantly more individuals with severe ID had died compared to the rest of the cohort, X(2) (1, N = 113) = 4.7, p < .05. CONCLUSION: Individuals with ASD and co-occurring ID may be at greater risk of death compared to the general population. Our findings emphasize the importance of monitoring and promoting health in individuals with autism, with special attention to individuals with co-occurring ID.

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16. Marsicano G, Deodato M, Melcher D. Atypical integration of temporal evidence and priors in causality judgment along the autism-schizotypy continuum. iScience. 2026; 29(4): 115325.

Perceptual inference arises from integrating sensory evidence with prior knowledge. Causality perception-deciding whether one event causes another-offers a window into this process. We examined how prior experience and individual differences shape causal inference in 150 neurotypical individuals spanning the autism-schizotypy (ASD-SSD) spectrum. Participants judged causality in dynamic collision events with varying temporal delays. Causality judgments were influenced by physical timing (sensory driven) and serial dependence on previous decisions (prior driven). SSD-like individuals showed the strongest serial dependence and ASD-like individuals the weakest. Hierarchical drift diffusion modeling revealed increased causality bias and lower decision thresholds in SSD-like individuals, reflecting a prior-dominated style. ASD-like individuals showed reduced perceptual-history influence and higher thresholds, indicating a sensory-driven approach. Crucially, prior biases and perceptual history were interrelated, suggesting a hierarchical organization of perceptual inference across timescales and linking causality perception to predictive processes shaped by distinct cognitive-perceptual profiles.

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17. Mimura K, Nakagaki K, Morishita H, Ichinohe N. Altered kinship vocal dynamics in marmosets with valproic acid-induced model of autism. iScience. 2026; 29(4): 115419.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves social communication impairments and repetitive behaviors. Language abnormalities in ASD, such as echolalia and idiosyncratic speech, heighten caregiver stress and affect communication dynamics within the kinship system. However, the influence of ASD-related traits on family-level interactions remains poorly understood in animal models. Here, we established an ASD model in common marmoset via prenatal valproic acid (VPA) exposure, and analyzed 28,418 kinship vocalizations from VPA-exposed and unexposed (UE) pups with their parents. VPA families exhibited increased isolation calls, decreased affiliative calls, disrupted repetition patterns, and reduced developmental maturations. These alternations intensified after weaning and correlated with parental weight loss, suggesting heightened caregiver stress. VPA pups also displayed premature locomotion independence, indicating broader social disruptions. Our findings highlight VPA marmosets as valuable models for investigating ASD-like traits at both individual and kinship levels, with kinship vocalizations serving as potential non-invasive biomarkers of ASD-related communication impairments and family stress.

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18. Oliveira LM, Aslam MS, Ramirez JM, Huff AD. Mecp2 deficiency induces dysphagia in a preclinical model of Rett syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026; 123(16): e2535716123.

Rett syndrome is an x-linked genetic neurological disorder primarily caused by mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. This progressive neurodevelopmental condition hinders patients’ ability to breathe and eat normally. It remains unclear how Mecp2 deficiency leads to the high prevalence of dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia observed in individuals with Rett syndrome. This study aims to determine the effects of Mecp2 deficiency on swallow-related neuromuscular mechanisms that contribute to dysphagia in Rett syndrome. Swallow-related submental complex duration and amplitude were significantly decreased in both Mecp2(-/y) and Mecp2(+/-) mice compared to wild-type, likely due to reduced motor unit activation. In Mecp2-deficient mice, cholinergic immunoreactivity in the hypoglossal, facial, and trigeminal motor nuclei was decreased in postsymptomatic, but not presymptomatic mice. We also observed a significant increase in the transition time from inspiration to swallow, swallow to the subsequent inspiration, and impaired post swallow respiratory rhythm resumption in Mecp2(-/y), but not Mecp2(+/-) mice. The combination of decreased ChAT(+) cells in brainstem motor nuclei and reduced submental muscle complex activity suggest impaired swallow-related hyolaryngeal elevation and laryngeal vestibular closure. These results provide insight into a neuromuscular mechanism underlying dysphagia in Rett syndrome and support the use of Mecp2-deficient mice as a viable preclinical model for further investigation of swallow and upper airway dysfunction in Rett syndrome.

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19. Peeples ES, Anzalone AJ, Dai R, Reisher E, Korade Z, Mirnics K. Sterol pathway disruption in pregnancy: a link to autism. Mol Psychiatry. 2026.

Cholesterol is a vital molecule, especially during embryonic development. Disruption of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway can arise from pathogenic genetic variants or exposure to prescription medications. We investigated the relationship between fifteen sterol biosynthesis inhibiting medications (SBIM) prescribed during pregnancy and the incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the resulting offspring. Our study of the Epic Cosmos database queried linked child and maternal health records for births between 2014 and 2023 with follow-up to December 2025. The study included 6,135,213 children with linked maternal health records. We evaluated the incidence of ASD associated with maternal prescription of aripiprazole, atorvastatin, bupropion, buspirone, fluoxetine, haloperidol, metoprolol, nebivolol, pravastatin, propranolol, rosuvastatin, sertraline, simvastatin, and/or trazodone during pregnancy using Cox proportional hazard modeling. We found that exposure to at least one SBIM during pregnancy was associated with a 1.47-fold (95% CI 1.45-1.49) increased risk of an ASD after adjusting for potential confounders. For each additional SBIM co-prescribed, there was a 1.33 (95% CI 1.32-1.34) times increased risk of ASD, reaching 2.33-fold risk when 4 or more SBIMs were prescribed simultaneously. In the ten years of our cohort, we identified 234,971 (3.8%) children with an ASD diagnosis. Of the children with an ASD diagnosis, 35,152 (15.0%) of the mothers were prescribed at least one SBIM during pregnancy. Notably, in our dataset, utilization of SBIM medications by pregnant women increased from 4.6% in 2014 to16.8% in 2023. In conclusion, SBIMs may be potentially harmful to the developing fetus. Given that these drugs account for over 400 million prescriptions annually in the U.S. we recommend these findings be considered before prescribing SBIM medications during pregnancy.

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20. Pierucka M, Pakalska A, Zagożdżon P, Dydjow-Bendek D. The history of (not) understanding autism: From Hugh Blair and « The wild boy of Aveyron » to ICD-11 and the DSM-5-TR. Hist Psychol. 2026; 29(1): 20-30.

In this article, the complicated history of understanding and defining autism is presented. Descriptions of important contributors and studies that are not widely known or remembered are also included and incorporated into the historical timeline. The first descriptions of probable cases of autism date back to the 18th century, but at that time, the individuals were diagnosed with mental retardation or « silent madness. » When the term autism was coined by Eugen Bleuler, it was related to the « inner world » to describe severe cases of schizophrenia. The first explicit description of autism, as we understand it today, was published in 1944 by Leo Kanner, who showed both similarities and differences between autism and childhood schizophrenia. Understanding the core problems related to autism took several decades. Groundbreaking studies conducted by Rutter et al. and Kolvin et al. determined that autism was separate from schizophrenia disorder 36 years after its official introduction (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, in 1980). In 1988, Rutter and Schopler stated that autism had the most validated diagnosis in child psychiatry. However, each subsequent classification introduced major changes and was significantly different from the previous ones. The aim was to optimize the diagnosis and provide optimal care for affected individuals. Our knowledge of autism is broad, and there are still allegations concerning the quality of the currently applicable classifications. Given how many years it has taken and the various approaches that have been used to understand autism, it may indeed be one of the most mysterious disorders in humans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

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21. Pitt K, Thiessen AL, Washburn T, Ousley C, Thistle J. Early observations on how children with and without autism take photographs: Preliminary implications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication design. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2026: 1-13.

PURPOSE: Visual scene displays are contextual images designed to represent messages in augmentative and alternative communication systems. Currently, little is known about how children naturally compose photographs and select content. This study takes an exploratory approach to establish a preliminary baseline of how children take photographs to inform child-centred visual scene display design. The study aimed to examine the compositional features and thematic content of child-generated photographs, begin evaluating whether children with autism may differ from neurotypical peers in photographic composition, and develop a preliminary descriptive codebook to support future population-sensitive, visual scene display research. METHOD: Sixteen neurotypical children and four children with autism took photographs of interest. Images were coded for composition (e.g. placement), inclusion of people, engagement, and thematic content. RESULT: Children predominantly used central composition, included whole objects, and favoured straight-on or top-down perspectives. Children with autism appeared to diverge in some areas. Common themes included play activities, people, household items, animals, food, and nature. CONCLUSION: Findings provide baseline insights into children’s natural photographic strategies and content preferences and suggest that children with autism may differ from neurotypical peers. These patterns, alongside the development of a preliminary descriptive codebook, support the future potential for population-sensitive, child-centred visual scene display design.

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22. Pollard JS, Hustyi KM, Yan CKY, Hall SS. Caregiver Perspectives on Priorities and Barriers in Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery for Autistic Individuals: A Community-Engaged Sequential Mixed-Methods Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: We conducted a community-engaged sequential mixed-methods study to identify the treatment and service delivery priorities and barriers that caregivers of autistic individuals experience when receiving applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. METHODS: We first conducted semi-structured interviews with eight caregivers to identify common priorities and barriers. Using the themes derived from the interviews, we collaborated with community partners to co-develop the Caregiver Priorities and Barriers Survey (CPBS) and administered it to a large sample of caregivers (N = 376) who had received ABA services. We analyzed the interviews using thematic analysis (Framework Method) and the surveys were analyzed using standard statistical methods. RESULTS: There was significant concordance between the qualitative and quantitative analyses. Caregivers described prolonged waitlists, limited provider availability, and mixed experiences with telehealth. The most pressing priorities included minimizing delays in diagnostic evaluations, incorporating ABA more effectively in schools, and identifying appropriate telehealth models for their child. Families in rural areas reported greater barriers related to provider communication, medically necessary ABA delivered in the educational setting, disruptions on family life, and increasing their child’s engagement in telehealth sessions. CONCLUSION: The findings reveal persistent inequities in access to ABA services and highlight opportunities to strengthen the behavioral health workforce, policy, and system-level coordination. Further refinement of existing telehealth models could help overcome common access barriers to ABA services for families.

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23. Polzer L, Bast N, Boxhoorn S, Mühlherr A, Mössinger H, Schütz M, Freitag CM, Luckhardt C. Attenuated selective attention during visual perspective taking in autism: A combined behavior, ERP, and pupillometry study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2026.

BACKGROUND: Altered social cognition in autism may be influenced by difficulties in domain-general functions, such as selective attention. Here, we manipulated the requirement for selective attention during a visual perspective taking (VPT) task and used neurophysiological indices to delineate underlying mechanisms. METHODS: 43 autistic and 38 neurotypical children and youth completed a VPT paradigm. Participants’ and an avatar’s perspectives were either congruent or incongruent, manipulating the demand for selective attention to inhibit irrelevant information processing. Group differences in dependence on the attended perspective and congruency were examined for behavioral performance, event-related potentials (ERPs), and in a subsample, stimulus-evoked pupil response (SEPR). RESULTS: Autistic participants showed reduced accuracy when rating an avatar’s perspective and pronounced perspective-related differences in a late-frontal slow wave (LFSW). Incongruency elicited stronger effects on behavioral performance and LFSW in autistic relative to neurotypical participants. Additionally, generally larger and more sustained SEPR was observed for autistic participants, reflecting an alteration that was dissociable from LFSW differences. Across groups, SEPR and ERP measures explained both distinct and partially overlapping variance in response slowing. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support attenuated VPT abilities and difficulties to deploy selective attention in autistic youth. Altered fronto-cortical activation patterns in the LFSW likely reflect an increased top-down involvement in VPT. Concurrently, pupil responses indicate an increased cognitive effort when reporting visual perspectives. Findings emphasize a co-characterization of social cognition difficulties by social and domain-general functions in autism.

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24. Qu L, Yin T, Zeng J, Zhang Y, Han X, Liu M, Chang F, Yuan Y, Shan S, Zhao H, Liu Q. Multi-View Analysis of Facial Expressions in Minimally Verbal Autism: Preliminary Evidence From Social Communication Observations. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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25. Ross-Cypcar SM, Zimmerman S, Frame L, Williams T, Pickett A, Haegele JA, Anderson K. Autistic Adolescents’ and their Parents’ Perspectives on a National Flourishing Item Set: A Construct Validation Study. Matern Child Health J. 2026.

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26. Schweitzer K. Leading Autism Experts, Advocates Form an Independent Committee in Response to Federal Shifts. Jama. 2026.

This Medical News article discusses the emergence of a new, research-focused independent autism group in the US following recent changes to the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. eng.

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27. Seytor LA, d’Arripe-Longueville F, Clément-Guillotin C. Does the Exerciser Stereotype Apply to Autistic Persons With Intellectual Disabilities? Influence of the Level of Sport Participation. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2026: 1-10.

This study examined whether information about sport participation influences stereotypes associated with autistic persons with intellectual disabilities, focusing on the warmth and competence dimensions of stereotype content and their facets. Participants (N = 325, Mage = 26.09), primarily students without self-reported disability, completed an online experiment using a between-subjects randomized design. Participants read a vignette describing an autistic person with intellectual disabilities, in which sport participation was manipulated (elite, recreational, or control). Participants then rated the target on perceived warmth and competence using 30-item scales including facet subscales. Results showed significant effects of sport participation on perceived competence: F(2, 322) = 52.66, p < .001, ηp2=.25. The elite athlete was perceived as more competent than both the recreational and control targets. The recreational athlete was rated higher that the control target. These findings suggest that sport participation may shape social perceptions of autism, although field studies are needed to examine real-world effects.

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28. Starr L, Lee M, Vo A, Weisenhaus M, Cheadle LM, Yadav A, Paryani F, Shirasu-Hiza M, Menon V, Mason C. Disrupted glial-mediated synaptic refinement in Fragile X syndrome. bioRxiv. 2026.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism, results from the loss of the RNA-binding protein fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is a translational regulator and is highly expressed in glial cells, where its role in neural circuit development remains poorly defined. Here, it was observed that Fmr1 knockout mice exhibit reduced synapse size and accelerated eye-specific segregation. To examine which cell-types participate in this process, a multi-omic framework was applied to FXS model mice at postnatal day 7, a critical window for synaptic remodeling in the retinogeniculate pathway, an established model system utilized to study synaptic pruning. Single-cell transcriptomics revealed coordinated alterations in microglia, astrocytes, and neurons in genes linked to synaptic pruning. Computational modeling further demonstrated enhanced astrocyte-to-microglia signaling, particularly through Ephrin A (EphA)- and semaphorin-mediated pathways, while lipidomic profiling revealed reductions in EphA-associated lipid species required for lipid raft stability and receptor localization. Consistent with these observations, a glial engulfment assay indicated that FXS microglia and astroglia over-engulf synaptic material in the lateral geniculate nucleus, supporting the transcriptomic profile. Together, these findings identify impaired glial-driven synaptic refinement as an early mechanistic feature of FXS pathogenesis, highlighting the genes involved in this process as potential therapeutic targets during circuit development.  .

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29. Sukjamnong S, Saeliw T, Panjabud P, Thongkorn S, Kanlayaprasit S, Lertpeerapan P, Hu VW, Sarachana T. Prenatal bisphenol A exposure perturbs sex-dependent transcriptomic regionalization of autism-associated genes in the developing brain. Biol Direct. 2026.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication, social interaction, and behavioral regulation. Its etiology arises from a combination of genetic vulnerabilities and environmental influences. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical found in plastic-containing materials, including micro- and nanoplastic pollutants. Recent studies have shown that prenatal BPA exposure can alter behavior and the expression of genes related to autism and neurodevelopment. METHODS: This study integrated and reanalyzed published RNA sequencing datasets from the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of rat offspring prenatally exposed to BPA through maternal intragastric administration during gestation to investigate the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on transcriptomic regionalization. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate selected RNA-seq findings in individual, non-pooled biological samples. The associations between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and ASD candidate genes were assessed via a hypergeometric distribution analysis. RESULTS: Prenatal BPA exposure was associated with altered transcriptomic profiles in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, together with sex-dependent changes in regional expression contrasts between these brain regions. Several ASD-relevant genes, including Msx2, Syncrip, Agtr2, and Myh9, showed altered regional expression patterns following prenatal BPA exposure. Genes showing altered regional expression contrasts after BPA exposure were annotated by IPA with functions, upstream regulators, and canonical pathways relevant to neurodevelopment and neurological disorders. Exploratory correlation analyses further identified region- and sex-dependent associations between disrupted regional gene-expression patterns and behavioral measures. CONCLUSIONS: This reanalysis suggests that prenatal BPA exposure is associated with altered regional transcriptomic patterning in the developing rat brain and identifies candidate genes and pathways for future mechanistic and replication studies.

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30. Tan Z, Zou X, Skorich DP, Deschrijver E. Discrimination in autism as measured by minimal group and sheer difference experiments. Br J Psychol. 2026.

Autistic individuals often show fewer social biases than neurotypical people. Whether they show fewer discriminatory tendencies is however unclear. The present study examined discriminatory tendencies in autistic versus neurotypical individuals in the minimal group paradigm and the novel ‘sheer difference’ paradigm. Seventy-five autistic and neurotypical participants were recruited for each group, totalling 150 participants. In the ‘sheer difference’ paradigm, participants received a coin toss outcome in each trial, after which they were tasked to assign points to a single other participant who had received the same versus a different coin flip outcome. In the minimal group paradigm, participants were assigned to a group based on coin flips, and then, they assigned points to members of their own group versus the other group. The ‘sheer difference’ paradigm contributes to the study’s aims by testing in autism whether discrimination can also follow from individual rather than group-based difference versus sameness. We found that discriminatory tendencies can come about on both individual and group levels. We did not find clear differences between autistic and neurotypical populations, with implications for the way in which we conceptualize discrimination and understand autism.

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31. Vanneau T, Brittenham C, Darrell M, Quiquempoix M, Foxe JJ, Molholm S. Instability of Alpha Oscillatory States in Autism and Familial Liability: Evidence from Burst-Resolved High-Density Electroencephalography (EEG). bioRxiv. 2026.

Atypical sensory experiences are highly prevalent in autistic children and include both hyper- and hypo-responsivity, often accompanied by sensory overload. Alpha oscillations (7-13 Hz), which dynamically regulate cortical excitability, represent a plausible neural mechanism underlying these phenomena: reduced alpha activity is associated with enhanced sensory responsiveness, whereas increased alpha supports suppression of external input. Although decreased alpha power has been repeatedly reported in autism, it remains unclear whether this reduction reflects lower oscillatory amplitude or reduced temporal stability of alpha rhythms, two mechanisms with distinct neurophysiological implications. To better characterize alpha activity in autism, we examined resting-state alpha dynamics in non-autistic children (NA; n = 39), autistic children (AU; n = 52), and siblings of autistic children (SIB; n = 26), aged 8-14 years. We combined traditional broadband measures of relative alpha power, parametric separation of periodic and aperiodic activity, and single-event analyses that quantify the temporal structure of alpha oscillations. Both broadband relative alpha power and periodic alpha power were reduced in autism over parietal regions, replicating prior findings. Importantly, ordinal analyses revealed an intermediate profile in siblings, supporting a liability-related gradient of alpha alterations. However, single-event analyses demonstrated that the average amplitude of individual alpha bursts did not differ between groups. Instead, autistic children showed significantly shorter alpha burst duration and reduced alpha abundance (i.e., proportion of time occupied by rhythmic alpha episodes), with siblings again exhibiting intermediate values. Linear regression analyses confirmed that reductions in relative and periodic alpha power were primarily driven by decreased alpha abundance rather than diminished burst amplitude. These findings indicate that altered alpha activity in autism reflects reduced temporal stability and density of alpha events rather than weaker oscillatory amplitude per se. Reduced persistence of alpha rhythms may therefore represent a neural marker of altered cortical excitability and sensory regulation in autism. LAY SUMMARY: Autistic children often experience the world differently at the sensory level, including being more easily overwhelmed by sounds, lights, or other stimuli. In this study, we looked at a type of brain activity called alpha rhythms, which help regulate how strongly the brain responds to incoming information. We found that, in autistic children, these alpha rhythms were not weaker when they occurred, but they lasted for a shorter time and happened less often. Siblings of autistic children showed an intermediate pattern. These results suggest that sensory differences in autism may be linked to less stable brain rhythms that normally help control sensory input.

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32. Wang W, Yu D. Impacts of affiliated stigma on depression and anxiety in Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: roles of parental burnout and spouse support. BMC Public Health. 2026.

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33. Williams EG, Vakil F, Abubakare O, Latin A, Ware L, Nelson D, Smith MJ. Asking for help: the development of a simulation-based mental health application to enhance depression literacy, mental health communication, and help-seeking among Black autistic youth. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1766641.

Black autistic youth experience disproportionately high rates of depression and face intersecting barriers such as racial discrimination, stigma, and limited access to care, yet few interventions address their needs. This study introduces Asking for Help (A4H), a culturally responsive, simulation-based intervention designed to improve depression literacy and help-seeking skills through an e-learning module and interactive conversation practice. Guided by mental health literacy theory, the Theory of Help-Seeking Behavior, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and Disability Critical Theory, A4H was developed using community-engaged and user-centered design principles. Usability testing employed a mixed-methods design with 32 participants (12 youth, 10 caregivers, 8 specialists) using the System Usability Scale (SUS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and semi-structured interviews. Black autistic youth reported moderate depressive symptoms (mean PHQ-9 = 14.7) and rated usability slightly below benchmark (mean SUS = 66.2), while caregivers and specialists scored higher (73.5 and 71.0). Qualitative feedback highlighted cultural relevance and immediate feedback as strengths, with recommendations for simplified language, improved navigation, and multimodal supports; emotional safety and trust were critical for engagement. No short-term symptom change was observed, consistent with the formative design. Findings indicate A4H is feasible and culturally responsive but requires refinements before efficacy testing to assess impacts on literacy, help-seeking intentions, and communication skills.

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34. Yu B, Lv JM, Lei G, Wu JL, Li DX, Song XY, He XN, Zhao N, Shu Q, Li HX. Distinct patterns of cortical activation and functional connectivity in children with high-functioning autism during a verbal fluency task: a comparative fNIRS study. Front Neurosci. 2026; 20: 1736415.

OBJECTIVE: Children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) often show marked deficits in executive functioning, particularly during verbal fluency tasks (VFTs). These behavioral impairments are believed to stem from neurophysiological abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning, characterized by atypical activation patterns and disrupted functional connectivity. This study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate hemodynamic responses and connectivity metrics during VFT performance. By comparing children with HFA to age-matched typically developing (TD) controls, this study aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms underlying the executive control of language production in HFA. METHODS: The sample included 29 children who met diagnostic criteria for HFA and 26 TD controls. All participants had a Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient of 70 or higher and were matched for age and cognitive ability. During a standardized phonemic VFT, cortical hemodynamics were continuously monitored using a 19-channel fNIRS system, with analyses focusing on changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration within PFC regions. RESULTS: Compared with TD controls, children with HFA exhibited reduced cortical activation across multiple prefrontal regions, including channels 1 (t = -2.975, p = 0.017), 2 (t = -4.320, p = 0.001), 3 (t = -3.381, p = 0.012), 9 (t = -3.127, p = 0.014), and 19 (t = -3.279, p = 0.012). These regions correspond anatomically to the inferior prefrontal gyrus, frontopolar cortex, and dorsolateral PFC. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated significantly reduced interregional coupling in the HFA group (p < 0.001), with mean connectivity values of 0.512 (SD = 0.076) compared with 0.566 (SD = 0.069) in TD participants. Furthermore, Oxy-Hb changes in prefrontal channels 1 (r = -0.424, p = 0.022), 2 (r = -0.432, p = 0.019), and 3 (r = -0.394, p = 0.034) were negatively correlated with Social Responsiveness Scale total scores, indicating that weaker prefrontal activation was associated with greater social impairment. CONCLUSION: The results reveal distinct cortical activation and functional connectivity alterations in children with HFA during VFTs. These findings support the hypothesis that disrupted interregional brain coordination underlies executive difficulties in language production in HFA children, who exhibit reduced PFC activation and weaker interregional functional connectivity during the VFT.

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35. Zhu J, Yi Y, Ma L, Tao S, Sun J, Zhang D, Sun X, Ding K. Causal effects of single-carbon metabolism and vitamin levels on autism spectrum disorder risk: a bidirectional Mendelian randomized study. Ital J Pediatr. 2026; 52(1).

BACKGROUND: Observational epidemiology studies suggested a relationship between single-carbon metabolism and vitamin levels with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. We aimed to explore the causal relationship between them at the genetic level. METHODS: We performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association studies summary statistics. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis. We applied other complementary methods, including weighted median, weighted mode, and MR Egger regression. MR Egger and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) are used to detect and correct the effects of horizontal pleiotropy. RESULTS: There were no causal associations between genetically predicted single-carbon metabolism and vitamin levels with ASD risk in IVW analysis (Homocysteine: 95% CI: 0.952–1.082, P = 0.652; Folate in Serum or Plasma: 95% CI: 0.968–1.249, P = 0.143; VB12: 95% CI: 0.989–2.133, P = 0.057; VB6: 95% CI: 0.647–1.247, P = 0.522; VC: 95% CI: 0.794–1.881, P = 0.362; VD: 95% CI: 0.825–1.551, P = 0.443; and VE: 95% CI: 0.87–1.711, P = 0.249). Reversely, we did not find significant causal effects of ASD on single-carbon metabolism and vitamin levels in MR analysis (all P > 0.05). Based on sensitivity analyses, heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy are unlikely to distort causal estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The MR study suggests that no evidence of a causal association was found between single-carbon metabolism and vitamin levels with ASD risk. Further studies are needed to validate these conclusions. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13052-026-02254-1.

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