Autism, the big unkown

Abstract

Autism is a common disorder of childhood. Yet, it often remains unrecognized and undiagnosed until or after late preschool age because appropriate tools for routine developmental screening and screening specifically for autism have not been available. Paediatricians have an important role in early recognition and evaluation of autism spectrum disorders because they usually are the first point of contact for parents. It is important that paediatricians are able to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and have a strategy for assessing them systematically. But paediatricians have also a role in chronic management of these disorders. The objective of this paper is to show a general view of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) state of knowledge nowadays as well to stress the need of early detection and treatment of these disorders in order to improve better evolution and prognosis.