Tahani Alrahbeni
Autism is a complex childhood developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication [1].
“Infantile Autism” was first diagnosed and classified by Kanner [2] and for nearly 50 years was viewed as relatively rare, low incidence condition. Autism has three unique features that include (a) reduced motivation for social interaction, (b) restricted interests and repetitive behaviours, and (c) severe communication disorders. In the beginning a patient has to present with all three of the criteria to be diagnosed with autism. The percentage of diagnosis thus stayed very low until the 1980s, when broadening of the diagnostic criteria and reclassifying autism as a spectrum was introduced. This diagnostic change lead to a dramatic increase in the number of cases diagnosed with autism reaching 10 to 20 per 10000 children with a decrease in intellectual disability diagnosis (USCenters for Disease Control, 2012).
