This past year witnessed several important advances in autism research from the discovery of autism susceptibility genes to alarming new autism prevalence estimates to novel findings about effective treatments for autism spectrum disorders. While the economic downturn threatened to slow progress, a welcomed infusion of NIH research funds resulting from President Obama's stimulus efforts spurred scientists to submit tens of thousands of NIH research applications, many of which focused on autism research. Meanwhile, families nationwide joined Autism Speaks walks and raised funds to support autism research efforts. Thus, our efforts continued to move forward despite the economic challenges.

Here we offer our perspective on 2009's top 10 scientific achievements in autism research. With input from Autism Speaks' Scientific Advisory Committee, Autism Speaks science staff culled through thousands of publications to arrive at our choices. While many of these may not have achieved a large amount of publicity, each of them advanced the way we think about autism in some important way. We hope that reading about these discoveries provides hope that, through scientific research, we are indeed making progress toward improving the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. At the same time, we recognize that progress is not nearly fast enough. Working together – families, scientists, professionals, government officials – we will create a better tomorrow through science and advocacy.

Autism Speaks Science Staff

(See previous Top 10s from 2007 and 2008.)