Infantile autism

Infantile autism
(Also called autism.) A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and unusual and repetitive behavior. Some, but not all, people with autism are non-verbal. Autism is normally diagnosed before age six and may be diagnosed in infancy in some cases. The degree of autism varies from mild to severe in different children. Severely afflicted patients can appear profoundly retarded. The cause (or causes) of autism are not yet fully understood. However, it is believed that at least some cases involve an inherited or acquired genetic defect. Researchers have proposed that the immune-system, metabolic, and environmental factors may play an important part as well. It is not caused by emotional trauma, as was once theorized. Autism or autistic-like behavior may co-occur with many other neurological conditions. The optimal treatment of autism involves an educational program that is suited to the child's developmental level. Autism is also called the Kanner syndrome. See also Asperger syndrome, elective mutism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Rett syndrome.

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infantile autism n a severe autism that first occurs before 30 months of age called also Kanner's syndrome

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autistic disorder.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • infantile autism — infantile autism. См. синдром Каннера. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • infantile autism — noun a rare but serious syndrome of childhood characterized by withdrawal and lack of social responsiveness or interest in others and serious linguistic deficits there is considerable dispute among specialists concerning infantile autism •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • infantile autism — Psychol. a disorder appearing in children before the age of two and a half, characterized by lack of interest in others, impaired communication skills, and bizarre behavior, as ritualistic acts and excessive attachment to objects. * * * …   Universalium

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  • autism — n. 1) (Kanner s syndrome, infantile autism) a psychiatric disorder of childhood, with an onset before the age of 2½ years. It is marked by severe difficulties in communicating and forming relationships with other people, in developing language,… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Heritability of autism — Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism is complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations with major effects. [cite journal |journal= Nat Rev Genet |year=2008… …   Wikipedia

  • Causes of autism — Autism and autism spectrum disorders are complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Many causes of autism have been proposed, but its theory of causation is still incomplete. Heritability contributes about 90% of the risk of a child developing autism …   Wikipedia

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