Autism

Autism is a devastating developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social relatedness; impairments in communication and language; and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, activities or interests. ¹   It is the defining condition of the autism spectrum. To even begin talking about "atypical autism", "Asperger's Syndrome", or any of the other conditions envisioned on "the great continuum",²  we must begin with an understanding of autism itself.

Autism is the first condition listed under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs) in both psychiatric “bibles”: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) ³  and the International Classification of Diseases – Tenth Edition (ICD-10). ⁴   The word "pervasive" is used to capture the fact that these disorders do not involve just one area of developmental difficulty, but many.

But what does autism look like? As you observe a child’s behavior, what might make you suspect he or she could be autistic? To explore this question, we return to the very first written account of autism.

First Accounts of Autism: Defining Characteristics

It is likely that autism has existed through the ages, but the first ever clinical account of the disorder was published by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943.⁵   Dr. Kanner, who developed the first child psychiatric service at a U.S. hospital, described a group of 11 children –eight boys and three girls-- who suffered from “autistic disturbances of affective contact”. ⁶ 

• Impairments in Social Interaction
• Problems with Communication
• Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior, Activities and Interests

It is interesting to note that, just as in Kanner's study, the rate of autism in males continues to be much higher than the rate in females.⁷

Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician, was working at nearly the same time as Kanner with a similar group of children on the other side of the Atlantic. For more on his story, see Asperger’s Syndrome.

Additional Aspects of Autism

Individuals with autism often experience significant challenges in areas other than the core three described above.  These include:

• Unusual Sensory Experiences
• Mental Retardation
• Seizures
• Regression

There are also medical and genetic conditions that can occur together with autism.  It's important to learn about these just in case they may also be playing a role.  Furthermore, it is hoped that such conditions  will provide pieces to the scientific puzzle - what do we know about an associated disorder that may shed light on what's going on in autism?  Two of the most important of these co-occuring conditions are Tuberous Sclerosis and Fragile X Syndrome.

So Much Still To Learn: A Quest for Answers

Since the 1940s, when Kanner and Asperger were putting their remarkable insights regarding socially different children on paper, we have learned a great deal. As you peruse this website and other sources of information on autism, you will see how much has been discovered about Autism Spectrum Disorders via research in a wide variety of fields, including Genetics, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Psychology.

What will also become evident, to a distressing degree, is how many questions remain unanswered. We still don’t know exactly what causes autism; we haven’t yet been able to identify specific subtypes of autism; we still have very few proven treatments for autism; and we are nowhere near a cure.

The answers to our urgent questions will only come through research. The Interactive Autism Network was created to facilitate just that. (See About IAN.)

We hope families will use this site to become informed consumers of autism research, and hopefully to become part of research studies themselves. We hope researchers will use this site to find one another, arcing across boundaries of space and narrow discipline, to brainstorm and collaborate.

We salute each and every one of  you who is committed to finding answers: individuals with autism and their families, researchers and educators, doctors and therapists, advocates and policy makers. We are here for you, and hope you will contact us with your questions, ideas, and concerns.