Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a cluster of medical conditions which are diagnosed on the basis of similar behaviour usually utilizing the DSM-4 Criteria for Autistic Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS).

ASD is the umbrella term under which autism, Aspeger's Syndrome, and other disorders are grouped. Autism is probably the most familiar but it also includes Asperger's syndrome, Rett's syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

Autism is a developmental disorder which appears before the age of three, and affects social interaction, communication, and patterns of behaviour. It often occurs with sensory disturbances, and sometimes with epilepsy and mental retardation. It is usually classed as a neurological disorder, but immunological and gastrointestinal abnormalities have also been found.

Here are a few of our favorite research links:

Autism Research Institute (ARI) , a non-profit organization established in 1967 by Bernard Rimland. ARI is primarily devoted to conducting research, and to disseminating the results of research, on the causes of autism and on methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating autism and other severe behavioral disorders of childhood.

Autism Research Unit - University Of Sunderland,UK,headed by Paul Shattock.

autism-resources.com - A large classified index of links to autism-related web sites. Included are web resources of all kinds including sites with information about various treatment options, sites dedicated to Asperger's, sites with accounts of the experiences of autistic people and their parents, autism organizations, and more.

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