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Abstract

The problems of diagnosing autism will be discussed in the light of historical attempts to define specific syndromes and the difficulty of differentiating autism from other similar conditions. The story of the development of the concepts of the triad of social impairments and the autistic continuum will be outlined. An approach to diagnosis based on these concepts and its relevance to clinical practice and research will be described. In this chapter, diagnosis will refer to recognition of patterns of behaviour and psychological impairments, and will not be concerned with any underlying aetiology.

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Wing, L. (1989). The Diagnosis of Autism. In: Gillberg, C. (eds) Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0882-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0882-7_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0884-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0882-7

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