Every year, the world’s leading autism researchers gather to share what they’ve discovered, what they’re still working to understand, and where the field is headed. This year was especially significant — and if you’re an individual on the spectrum or a family navigating autism services, the news coming out of this gathering is worth knowing about. A Historic Gathering in Prague In April 2026, more than 2,400 scientists, clinicians, advocates, and autistic self-advocates from 75 countries convened in Prague, Czech

Recent developments in autism research and advocacy reveal significant trends in diagnosis rates, genetic discoveries, potential treatments, and evolving perspectives on communication and comorbidities. Rising Autism Prevalence in the U.S. 1. Rising Autism Prevalence in the U.S. The CDC’s 2022 data shows that 1 in 31 children (3.2%) in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism by age 8—a rise from 1 in 36 (2.7%) in 2020 (cdc.gov). Findings vary across regions, from 1 in 103 in Laredo, TX, to 1

A transformative $50 million donation from the Lurie family will establish the Lurie Autism Institute, an ambitious collaboration between Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine focused on advancing autism research and care across the lifespan. The contribution is the largest single gift ever directed to U.S. academic medical centers for autism.  More than 75 million people worldwide—including one in 31 children and one in 45 adults in the United States—are living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By uniting CHOP’s world‑class