The leader of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute talks about what drew him into the autism field, and his departure from — and return to — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Here is a roundup of news and research spotted around the web for the week of 25 September.

This month’s Going on Trial newsletter explores how eye tracking might be used beyond helping with diagnosis, among other drug development news.

Increasing or reducing the levels of the UBE3A gene, which is associated with autism and autism-related syndromes, results in altered patterns of synaptic pruning — a process that snips away brain cell connections.

Anxiety and other challenges autistic children experience may stem from an increase in social-communication issues and a decrease in repetitive behaviors from ages 6 to 11.

A thin “micro-tether” and rotating connector facilitate uninterrupted, hours-long neural population recordings as the animals freely explore their environment.

Autism researchers can’t agree on how far to go to validate the input they gather from minimally verbal autistic people who use certain communication devices.

Here is a roundup of news and research spotted around the web for the week of 18 September.

Read recent Spectrum coverage about autism’s apparent rise in prevalence — and some of the potential explanations for it.

A new tool could help decipher the brain circuits underlying aversion to social touch, which is common in people with autism.