Disorder is a pervasive
developmental disorder
that affects all of mental

Autism or Autistic Disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects all of mental
development. It looks very different at different ages and certain features do not become
apparent until later. Autism is probably present at birth but is often not identified until the child
fails to develop communicative language at about 2 years of age. 70% of children with Autism
have IQ's below 70; and 11% have IQ's above 85. Those individuals who are most
developmentally delayed are usually also most autistic. As with normally developing children
no two children with Autism are alike and the differential diagnosis of such disorders as
Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD), Pervasive
Developmental Disorder (PDD), and severe communication disorder can be difficult. It is
believed by many researchers that the fundamental deficit that is seen in autistic children
is a "mind blindness" or a lack of a theory of mind or the capacity to understand that
other people think and feel the same way as they do. This deficit is believed to
contribute to the difficulty that autistic children have in imitating another person's
reactions, particularly their body movements, and particularly if the content of the
actions is affective. Several studies have also found specific deficits in autistic children's
perception and understanding of emotions.

The DSM-IV-TR (2000) has identified Autistic Disorder as one disorder under the wider category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Under the broader category there are other disorders included such as Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Not Otherwise Specified). DSM-IV-TR has identified the following diagnostic criteria for the Autistic Disorder.

marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviours
such as eye-to-eye gaze, facialexpression, body postures, and
gestures to regulate social interaction

a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest)

delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken lan guage (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alter native modes of communication such as gestures and mime)

encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that isabnormal either in intensity or focus

Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play

much closer to
understanding them in
the last five years.\u201d

It is still not clear what precise deficits underlie Autistic Disorders but researchers have got much closer to understanding them in the last five years. This has mainly occurred because the latest research has compared autistic children to other children with the same IQ and chronological age. Deficits appear to be very selective and are not the same in all children with Autism.