Verhoeff Berend
Theory and History of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands,
Med Health Care Philos. 2015 Aug;18(3):443-7. doi: 10.1007/s11019-015-9636-7.
One of the central aims of autism research is to identify specific neurodevelopmental mechanisms that cause and explain the visible autistic signs and symptoms. In this short paper, I argue that the persistent search for autism-specific pathophysiologies has two fundamental difficulties. The first regards the growing gap between basic autism science and clinical practice. The second regards the difficulties with demarcating autism as a psychiatric condition. Instead of the unremitting search for the neurobiological basis of autism, I suggest that basic autism research should focus on experiences of impairment and distress, and on how these experiences relate to particular (autistic) behaviors in particular circumstances, regardless of whether we are dealing with an autism diagnosis or not.
自闭症研究的核心目标之一是确定导致并解释明显自闭症体征和症状的特定神经发育机制。在这篇短文中，我认为持续寻找自闭症特有的病理生理学存在两个基本困难。第一个困难在于基础自闭症科学与临床实践之间日益扩大的差距。第二个困难在于将自闭症界定为一种精神疾病所面临的困难。我建议，基础自闭症研究不应不懈地探寻自闭症的神经生物学基础，而应关注损伤和痛苦的体验，以及这些体验在特定情况下如何与特定（自闭症）行为相关联，无论我们是否面对自闭症诊断。
