UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researchers have launched the nation's most comprehensive assessment of children with autism to detect the biological and behavioral patterns that define subtypes of the disorder. The Autism Phenome Project is enrolling 1,800 children with and without autism who will undergo thorough medical evaluations in addition to systematic analyses of their immune systems, brain structures and functions, genetics, environmental exposures and blood proteins. Children will be 2 to 4 years old when they begin participating in the study, and their development will continue to be evaluated over the course of several years.