title: Autism spectrum disorders: clinical and research frontiers.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Elizabeth.Caronna@bmc.org
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Caronna
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Milunsky
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tager-Flusberg
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D008040:Genetic Linkage / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009488:Neurosciences; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012106:Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index