Caronna E B, Milunsky J M, Tager-Flusberg H
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
Arch Dis Child. 2008 Jun;93(6):518-23. doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.115337. Epub 2008 Feb 27.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders that occur along a broad continuum of severity with impairments in social interactions, communication and behaviour. This review highlights recent advances in autism research that shed light on the causes of the disorder and that have implications for clinical practice. It focuses on (1) the rising prevalence of ASD with attention given to recent epidemiological studies, (2) important genetic discoveries that may affect clinical evaluation of children with ASD, (3) active areas of research in cognitive neuroscience that seek to explain the underlying mechanisms of a complex disorder and (4) important studies on clinical populations with implications for screening and early identification of infants and toddlers with ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是常见的神经发育障碍，其严重程度呈广泛连续分布，伴有社交互动、沟通和行为方面的损害。本综述重点介绍了自闭症研究的最新进展，这些进展揭示了该疾病的病因，并对临床实践具有启示意义。它聚焦于：（1）ASD患病率的上升，并关注近期的流行病学研究；（2）可能影响ASD儿童临床评估的重要遗传学发现；（3）认知神经科学中旨在解释这一复杂疾病潜在机制的活跃研究领域；以及（4）对临床群体的重要研究，这些研究对筛查和早期识别患有ASD的婴幼儿具有启示意义。
