Autism Spectrum Disorder

An autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects one in every five hundred children. Children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate deficits in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. A milder form of autism spectrum disorder is known as Asperger syndrome.

 

Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Introduction

Not until the middle of the twentieth century was there a name for a disorder that now appears to affect an estimated one of every five hundred children, a disorder that causes disruption in families and unfulfilled lives for many children.
 
In 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner of the Johns Hopkins Hospital studied a group of 11 children and introduced the label "early infantile autism" into the English language. At the same time, a German scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that became known as Asperger syndrome.
 
Thus these two disorders were described and are today listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV-TR (fourth edition, text revision)] as two of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), more often referred to today as autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
 
All these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.
 

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Types

The pervasive developmental disorders, or autism spectrum disorders, range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, to a milder form, known as Asperger syndrome.
 
If a child has symptoms of either of these disorders, but does not meet the specific criteria for either, the diagnosis is called pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
 
Other rare, very severe disorders that are included in the autism spectrum disorders are childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome.
 
(Autism Spectrum Disorder Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD