For almost three decades, the idea that childhood vaccines cause autism has lingered in the public imagination. It began with a single flawed study and evolved into a full cultural debate that has touched parents, policymakers, scientists, and online communities alike. For parents, the worry is not simply academic. When a child shows delays in …
For years, autism has been viewed through a single lens, a condition thought to exist along one continuous line of traits and challenges. Yet science is beginning to uncover something far more intricate. Behind the surface of what we call the spectrum may lie patterns and variations that tell a much deeper story about the …
Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and schizophrenia are often discussed years after symptoms emerge, when children struggle in school or adults experience changes in perception, thinking, or social connection. But a growing body of research is shifting that timeline dramatically earlier, back to the earliest weeks of life in the womb. A large new study …