Autism spectrum disorder is a term used to describe a constellation of early-appearing social communication deficits and repetitive sensory-motor behaviours associated with a strong genetic component as well as other causes. The outlook for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder today is brighter than it was 50 years ago; more people with the condition are able to speak, read, and live in the community rather than in institutions, and some will be largely free from symptoms of the disorder by adulthood. Nevertheless, most individuals will not work full-time or live independently. Genetics and neuroscience have identified intriguing patterns of risk, but without much practical benefit yet. Considerable work is still needed to understand how and when behavioural and medical treatments can be effective, and for which children, including those with substantial comorbidities. It is also important to implement what we already know and develop services for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Clinicians can make a difference by providing timely and individualised help to families navigating referrals and access to community support systems, by providing accurate information despite often unfiltered media input, and by anticipating transitions such as family changes and school entry and leaving.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a construct used to describe individuals with a specific combination of impairments in social communication and repetitive behaviours, highly restricted interests and/or sensory behaviours beginning early in life. The worldwide prevalence of autism is just under 1%, but estimates are higher in high-resource countries. Although gross brain pathology is not characteristic of autism, subtle anatomical and functional differences have been observed in postmortem, neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies. Initially it was hoped that accurate measurement of behavioural phenotypes would lead to specific genetic subtypes, but genetic findings have mainly applied to heterogeneous groups that are not specific to autism. Psychosocial interventions in children can improve specific behaviours, such as joint attention, language and social engagement that may affect further development and could reduce symptom severity. However, further research is necessary to identify the long-term needs and treatments and the mechanisms behind them that could result in improved independence and quality of life over time. Families are often the major source of support for people with AUTISM throughout much of life and need to be considered, along with the perspectives of autistic persons, in both research and practice. [H1] Introduction Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common, highly heritable and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that has underlying cognitive features and commonly co-occurs with other conditions. The Autism spectrum disorder-or autism-is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically manifests in young children. This Primer by Lord and colleagues reviews the epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical detection and treatment of autism.

Studies of Lovaas-based approaches and early intensive behavioral intervention variants and the Early Start Denver Model resulted in some improvements in cognitive performance, language skills, and adaptive behavior skills in some young children with ASDs, although the literature is limited by methodologic concerns.