Possible Genetic Link to Autism Identified

A gene variation associated with an increased risk of autism in boys has been identified by scientists.

Boys are three to four times more likely than girls to be affected by autism.

In this study, U.S. researchers analyzed genomic data from more than 3,000 children with autism and their family members, as well as children without autism.

another good piece about autism

Changing perceptions: The power of autism

Most grant proposals, research papers and reviews on autism open with, “Autism is a devastating disorder”. Mine do not.

I am a researcher, clinician and lab director concentrating on the cognitive neuroscience of autism. Eight autistic people have been associated with my group: four research assistants, three students and one researcher.

Their roles have not been limited to sharing their life experiences or performing mindless data entry. They are there because of their intellectual and personal qualities. I believe that they contribute to science because of their autism, not in spite of it.

Everyone knows stories of autistics with extraordinary savant abilities, such as Stephen Wiltshire, who can draw exquisitely detailed urban landscapes from memory after a helicopter tour. None of my lab members is a savant. They are 'ordinary' autistics, who as a group, on average, often outperform non-autistics in a range of tasks, including measures of intelligence.