Early intensive behavioral intervention is the only well-established treatment for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Less intensive behavioral interventions are also effective for targeted concerns with older children and…

Children with autism spectrum disorders can have varying degrees of difficulty acquiring spoken and written language, but symptoms of communication impairment associated with social impairment are uniformly present, distinguishing autism…

Autism is a heterogeneous entity that clearly has a substantial genetic component to its cause. There is likely enough evidence to suggest that there are common genetic mechanisms that predispose…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also called pervasive developmental disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revised), constitute a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that coalesce…

Positron emission tomography, single-photon emission tomography, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are powerful tools for the monitoring of diverse neurochemical functions. Neuroimaging studies targeting neurotransmitter systems in autism have provided…

Autism (autism spectrum disorders) is a complex, strongly genetically influenced, behaviorally defined disorder of the immature brain associated with very uneven intellectual abilities. Among its most salient and potentially treatable…

Epidemiologic data gathered over the last 40 years report that the conservative estimate of autistic spectrum disorder prevalence is 27.5 per 10,000 individuals; however, the prevalence estimate based on newer…

The last decade has seen an increase of interest in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). With the prevalence now approaching 1%, children with ASD are usually first evaluated by clinicians working…