Regression

Recent articles

Woman going over homework with distracted child.

Early language loss in autistic children not tied to later communication problems

Many autistic children experience language regression for about three months in early childhood, but this lapse does not appear to foretell future communication issues.

By Charles Q. Choi
28 February 2022 | 6 min read
Boy in brain-like tunnel looking towards the light

Puberty and autism: An unexplored transition

Researchers are just beginning to learn what happens in the brains of autistic children during adolescence to explain their unique social, cognitive and emotional challenges.

By Spectrum
24 March 2021 | 19 min read

Increase in intelligence scores may not alter autism traits

People with autism show significant improvements in cognitive ability from age 12 to 23 years, but their autism traits remain stable over this time.

By Peter Hess
4 February 2020 | 3 min read
Child hesitating in front of a giant eye showing areas of the brain, facial recognition and other connections related to sight.

Seeing connections between autism and blindness

Autism is unusually common among people with congenital blindness, in part because the ability to see drives much of brain development.

By Rubin Jure
12 November 2019 | 6 min read
linked hands in a pattern intertwined with DNA showing some broken parts, symbolizing mutations

Rett syndrome’s link to autism, explained

Studies of Rett syndrome hint at genes, cells and brain circuits that may be involved in autism — and may pave the way to treatments for both conditions.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
21 October 2019 | 5 min read

Language regression in autism tied to motor milestones

Autistic children who lose words reach key milestones earlier than autistic children without language regression.

By Tara Santora
9 October 2019 | 4 min read
Father helping boy brush teeth

Rapid regression distinguishes rare condition from autism

Some children who dramatically lose a range of abilities after age 2 may have a condition called childhood disintegrative disorder.

By Jessica Wright
7 February 2019 | 3 min read
Spectrum stories podcast logo.

Spectrum Stories: Resetting the autistic brain

Deep brain stimulation is not an approved treatment for autism but has helped some people with extreme obsessions and other severe traits. Host Ben Kuebrich investigates one success story.

By Ben Kuebrich
14 September 2018 | 1 min read
Photo: Autistic woman Becky Audette lies on a couch under a purple blanket.

Rebooting Becky’s brain

An electrical brain implant all but erased the obsessions that had consumed Becky Audette, years after her autism diagnosis. Could similar implants help other people with severe autism?

By Ingrid Wickelgren
12 September 2018 | 28 min read

Mutations in autism gene may trigger milder effects than does its loss

People with mutations in SHANK3 have milder features than do those missing a chunk of DNA that includes the gene.

By Bahar Gholipour
20 June 2018 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

New human brain atlas charts gene activity and chromosome accessibility, from embryo to adolescence

The resource profiles millions of single cells across the developing cortex, revealing when, where and how certain cell types emerge and illuminating possible origins of autism and other conditions.

By Saima Sidik
30 January 2025 | 5 min read

Protocol-sharing site aims to ease administrative burden of animal research

The library of regulatory-compliant animal procedures offers experimental standards and specific language that researchers can borrow for their own legal paperwork.

By Calli McMurray
29 January 2025 | 4 min read

David Robbe challenges conventional notions of time and memory

Inspired by his own behavioral neuroscience research and the philosophy of Henri Bergson, Robbe makes the case that we don't have clocks in our brains but instead perceive time by way of our interactions with the world.

By Paul Middlebrooks
29 January 2025 | 98 min listen