Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability. The most recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2022 shows that the prevalence of autism among U.S. children is up to 1 in 36. However, there is a lack of extensive autism surveys in China, with a prevalence of approximately 0.7% in Chinese children aged 6 to 12 years, according to the results of the 2020 multicenter study (Zhou H et al. Neuroscience Bulletin, 2020). Autism is highly phenotypically heterogeneous, and its specific clinical phenotypes and imaging features are still unclear. At present, the diagnosis of autism mainly relies on behavior checklist. Most of the behavior information comes from the impressions and memories of parents or even grandparents, with many biases. As a result, it could result in missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.

The China Autism Brain Imaging Consortium (CABIC) aims to unite scattered independent autism research teams, integrate data from multiple centers, form a data sharing platform with large samples. It is conducive for researchers to develop new recognition methods and prediction models for brain imaging pattern, and to find autism imaging indicators that are more in line with multi-center consistency in China and even Asia. It could provide a more comprehensive and objective decision-making basis for the auxiliary diagnosis of autism in China. As a result, it could promote the transformation of the autism diagnosis and treatment from a traditional model based on subjective experience to an intelligent one based on brain imaging.