The autistic disorder, a neurodevelopmental disease first described in 1943, represents a challenge for treatment and a puzzle for research. Alongside Asperger syndrome, a milder form of the disorder, autism is classified in the continuum of various Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), all of which are characterized by deficits in language, social interaction, and a strangely restricted and repetitive behaviour (stereotypy).

In a breakthrough scientific study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have shown that neural stem cell development may be linked to Autism.

It has been a high profile year for autism. A severely autistic Minnesota boy was banned from church. An autistic kindergartner in Florida was voted out of class. A mother and her autistic son were thrown off an American Airlines flight at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. And another mother and autistic toddler were kicked off an airplane in Huston reportedly because the boy was repeating ‘bye, bye plane’ during the safety speech.

The highly acclaimed guitarist, Jon Sterry will rock for the UK Autism Foundation at the first ever Redbridge Community Dinner for Autism scheduled to be held on Saturday 12th July at 7 pm. The community dinner will be held at the All Saints Church Hall in Inman's Row in Woodford Green, Essex.

Pope Benedict XVI has been urged to act on autism after Adam Race, a 13 year old boy with severe autism was banned from the Roman Catholic Church of St.Joseph in Bertha, Minnesota by his priest Fr.Daniel Walz. According to court documents, Fr. Daniel Walz took out a temporary restraining order on the boy with autism and his mother Carol Race on the grounds of disruptive behaviour.' They were threatened with arrest by the Sheriff of Todd County if they entered the church for Mass.

The ability to detect autism in children as young as nine months of age is on the horizon, according to researchers at McMaster University.

Autism Speaks Applauds Florida Governor Charlie Crist and State Legislators for Passing Autism Health Insurance Legislation Florida's Senate Bill 2654 Important Step in Requiring Coverage of Necessary Autism Therapies.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show profound deficits in social interactions and communications, and display repetitive behaviors and abnormal responses to sensory experiences. One aspect of an autistic child’s impaired social abilities is their lack of affiliative behaviors, i.e., behaviors such as touching and hugging that strengthen social bonds.

The University of Leicester is leading on a national study to calculate the number of adults with autism, it has been announced today.

What began as an informal presentation by a clinical linguist to a group of philosophers, has led to some surprising discoveries about the communicative language abilities of people with autism.

Parents of children with autism are increasingly turning to sensory integration treatment to help their children deal with the disorder, and they’re seeing good results. In 2007, 71 percent of parents who pursued alternatives to traditional treatment used sensory integration methods, and 91 percent found these methods helpful.

Autism campaigners in the United Kingdom have urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Chancellor Alastair Darling to help families with autism during the present financial turmoil.