This text examines the characteristics that define autism: impairments in communication; abnormal social development; and clinically significant odd behaviors. Specific chapters include: (1) Neural Mechanisms in Autism (Andrew W. Zimmerman and Barry Gordon); (2) Epidemiology of Autism and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Current Controversies (Peter Szatmari and Jeremy Goldberg); (3) Clinical Practice Guidelines: The New York State Experience (Donna M. Noyes-Grosser); (4) A Neuropsychological Approach to Language Intervention in Autistic Children (Michelle Dunn and Mary Joan Sebastian); (5) Stereotypies and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism (Marco A. Grados and Daria McCarthy); (6) Diagnostic Issues in Autism (Pasquale J. Accardo); (7) Experimental Design and Cumulative Research in Early Behavioral Intervention (O. Ivar Lovaas); (8) Pragmatic Language Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Rebecca Landa), which discusses assessment of pragmatic language skills, intervention, and instructional methods; (9) The Savant Syndrome in Autism (Darold A. Treffert); (10) The Broad Autism Phenotype (Joseph Piven); (11) Seizures, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, and Autistic Regression: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment (John F. Mantovani); (12) Neuropharmacological Therapy in Autism (Andrew W. Zimmerman and others); (13) Parent and Family Issues: Stress and Knowledge (Martin A. Kozloff and John S. Rice), which discusses areas and benefits of family participation, behavior modification approaches, and evaluating a childs education program; and (14) Autism: Summary of Selected Decisions (Brooke R. Whitted). (Individual chapters contain references.) (CR)