Children with autism have a different chemical fingerprint in their urine than non-autistic children, according to new research published in the Journal of Proteome Research. People with autism are known to suffer from gastrointestinal disorders and they have a different makeup of bacteria in their guts from non-autistic people.

This study by Imperial College London and the University of South Australia shows that it is possible to distinguish between autistic and non-autistic children by looking at the by-products of gut bacteria and body's metabolic processes in children's urine.