Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 3: Children and Mental Health
Overview of Mental Disorders in Children
Autism
Autism, the most common of the pervasive developmental disorders (with a
prevalence of 10 to 12 children per 10,000 [Bryson & Smith, 1998]), is
characterized by severely compromised ability to engage in, and by a lack of
interest in, social interactions. It has roots in both structural brain
abnormalities and genetic predispositions, according to family studies and
studies of brain anatomy. The search for genes that predispose to autism is
considered an extremely high research priority for the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH, 1998). Although the reported association between autism and
obstetrical hazard may be due to genetic factors (Bailey et al., 1995), there is
evidence that several different causes of toxic or infectious damage to the
central nervous system during early development also may contribute to autism.
Autism has been reported in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (Aronson et
al., 1997), in children who were infected with rubella during pregnancy (Chess
et al., 1978), and in children whose mothers took a variety of medications that
are known to damage the fetus (Williams & Hersh, 1997).
Cognitive deficits in social perception likely result from abnormalities in
neural circuitry. Children with autism have been studied with several imaging
techniques, but no strongly consistent findings have emerged, although
abnormalities in the cerebellum and limbic system (Rapin & Katzman, 1998) and
larger brains (Piven, 1997) have been reported. In one small study (Zilbovicius
et al., 1995), evidence of delayed maturation of the frontal cortex was found.
The evidence for genetic influences include a much greater concordance in
identical than in fraternal twins (Cook, 1998).
Back to the Mental Health: The Surgeon General's Report Table of Contents