Perinatal Factors and the Development of Autism

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Abstract
Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by severe impairmentin social interaction and communication and by the presence of stereotypicbehavior.1 It has an estimated prevalence of10 to 20 per 10 000 individuals.2-4 Autismis diagnosed by clinical criteria,1,5 usuallyaround 3 to 4 years of age when social and communication milestones are notachieved. Symptoms are often noticed by 12 months of age,6 andaffected people show large individual differences in their symptomatology.7 Autism is part of a spectrum of disorders that includesAsperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified(PDD-NOS).1 The latter 2 diagnoses are madewhen affected individuals have fewer or milder symptoms. The prevalence ofall autism spectrum disorders is estimated at approximately 60 per 10 000people.8

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