Avril Brereton and Bruce Tonge WHAT IS AUTISM ?

A A A A Avril Br vril Br vril Br vril Br vril Brer er er er ereton and Bruce T eton and Bruce T eton and Bruce T eton and Bruce T eton and Bruce Tonge onge onge onge onge WHAT IS AUTISM? Autism is a syndrome consisting of a set of developmental and behavioural features that must be present for the condition to be diagnosed. The core features of autism include impairment in three main areas of functioning: • • • • • social interaction; • • • • • communication; • • • • • patterns of behaviour, interests and activities (which become restricted, repetitive and stereotyped). Kanner first described these core features in his paper of 1943, in which 11 children with 'autistic disturbances of affective contact' showed a distinctive pattern of symptoms: • • • • • inability to relate to people and situations; • • • • • failure to use language for the purpose of communication; • • • • • obsessive desire for the maintenance of sameness in the environment. The DSM–IV diagnostic system (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) emphasises that symptoms may change throughout life and that behaviour problems can range from mild to severe. The cause of autism is unknown. It is a biological condition probably due to a number of causes acting together, rather than one specific cause.