Nature  
Volume 479 Number 7371 pp5-144  3 November 2011
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Special issue on neuroscience: The autism enigma
Diagnoses and research funding are rising, but much about autism remains a puzzle. Nature seeks some truths.

The prevalence puzzle: Autism counts
Shifting diagnoses and heightened awareness explain only part of the apparent rise in autism. Scientists are struggling to explain the rest.
Karen Weintraub

Scientists and autism: When geeks meet
Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen thinks scientists and engineers could be more likely to have a child with autism. Some researchers say the proof isn’t there.
Lizzie Buchen

Autism’s fight for facts: A voice for science
Convinced by the evidence that vaccines do not cause autism, Alison Singer started a research foundation that pledges to put science first.
Meredith Wadman

Comment
Changing perceptions: The power of autism
Recent data — and personal experience — suggest that autism can be an advantage in some spheres, including science, says Laurent Mottron.