Disorders of Higher Cerebral Function in Preschool Children: Second of Two Parts

AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS  Autism is no more a disease than dysphasia or dyslexia, it is a syndrome or symptom-complex of brain dysfunction that may have any one of multiple etiologies (eg, congenital rubella, untreated phenylketonuria, tuberous sclerosis, fragile-X).²⁷ In most cases the etiology is unknown. There are some families in whom it seems to appear as a genetic trait. It affects four boys to every girl. A recent report indicates that autism in some but not all autistic boys without severe mental deficiency is associated with hypoplasia of lobules VI and VII of the cerebellar vermis.²⁸ The significance of this finding remains to be clarified.The core symptoms of autism, those that make one call a child autistic whatever his IQ, other symptoms, and skills, have to do with affect, socialization and communication, and play (Table 6).²⁹ Therefore, other symptoms, for example, sensorimotor abnormalities, aberrant attention, and