Each year, the IACC releases a list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 2018 Summary of Advances provides short, plain language summaries of the top research breakthroughs selected by the IACC from a pool of research articles nominated by the members. The 20 studies selected for 2018 have provided new insight into potential screening tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the development of brain regions implicated in ASD symptomatology, and the prevalence of ASD in children. The advances also include studies that analyzed the degree of inclusion of children severely affected by autism in treatment studies, the effect of insurance ASD mandates on health service use, and the manifestation of ASD symptoms in adolescents and young adults. Several of the selected studies compared the genetic variations that contribute to ASD and other psychiatric disorders; studies such as these will help elucidate shared mechanisms underlying these disorders.Each year, the IACC releases a list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 2018 Summary of Advances provides short, plain language summaries of the top research breakthroughs selected by the IACC from a pool of research articles nominated by the members. The 20 studies selected for 2018 have provided new insight into potential screening tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the development of brain regions implicated in ASD symptomatology, and the prevalence of ASD in children. The advances also include studies that analyzed the degree of inclusion of children severely affected by autism in treatment studies, the effect of insurance ASD mandates on health service use, and the manifestation of ASD symptoms in adolescents and young adults. Several of the selected studies compared the genetic variations that contribute to ASD and other psychiatric disorders; studies such as these will help elucidate shared mechanisms underlying these disorders.

Articles in the 2018 IACC Summary of Advances are grouped according to the topics represented by the seven questions of the 2016-2017 IACC Strategic Plan for ASD. Citations for the articles selected for the Summary of Advances, as well as a complete listing of those nominated, are included at the end of the document.