title: [Autism:diagnosis criteria. Cognitive-evolutionary approach].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To get acquainted with the information handled by health professionals regarding autism and its diagnosis criteria in the province of Mendoza, Argentina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative. A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted on a non-probabilistic sample of 38 professionals of Mendoza province. The professionals answered a questionnaire on autism and its diagnosis criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-five percent of the professionals of the sample did not diagnose autism. The professionals that did (45percent of the sample), though updated as regards diagnosis criteria, did not handle actual information about origin and type of this pathology, its symptoms and characteristics. Since most professionals belong to public institutions of the province, these results become relevant.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales, INCHIHUSA, CRICYT-CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina. scatolon@nysnet.com.ar
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Scatolón
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ison
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires