In the early 20th century the individuals displaying the characteristics of today's autism were labeled with schizophrenia. The inability to relate to others and function in social setting let scientists to believe that dementia was the only explanation. It wasn't until 1948 when Leo Kanner began to study this mysterious disorder more closely that the label autism was provided. Kanner describes autism as a "disorder that is the end product of several different disorders which share similar social, language and neurological abnormalities."

There is no know specific cause for autism, but over the years the links between various forms of

As scientists of the past and present found difficulty classifying autism as a specific disorder, so do professionals who attempt to assess and diagnose autism. One of the strongest problems with assessment of autism is that the diagnosis is based on subjective criteria that are difficult to determine. The "umbrella" diagnosis is pervasive developmental disorder, which not only includes autism, but several other related disorders including Asperger's disorder, Rett's disorder and Fragile X Syndrome. Each of these disorders share similarities across categories of socialization, language, behavior, and neurology, thus there are no accurate medical tests for assessing autism. The only way a precise assessment is achieved is through direct observation of a child's behavioral communication and developmental levels. Because of autism's multiple behavioral disorder's, doctors often complete many tests to rule out other possible causes. Ideally, several processionals, including a neurologist, psychologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language pathologist, audiologist, and learning consultant should evaluate a child.

Autistic children may participate in self-stimulatory behaviors, such as repetitive, non-goal directed behavior. The child may throw frequent tantrums for no apparent reason, or participate in self-injurious behavior. Communication, both verbally and non-verbally, are dysfunctional in autistic children. In normal children, hand gestures are within normal limits, however in autistic children they do not acquire the appropriate skills to conduct appropriate hand gestures. Autistic children also show deficiencies in joint attention interactions involving gestures such as pointing and making eye contact with an object. Similarly, simple gestures communicating, "come here" or "be quiet", as well as more complex gestures which express feelings, are not produced. Difficulty matching bodily postures, sounds and situations with facial expressions is prevalent amongst autistic individuals. Verbal communication also poses a problem with autism. Some children never speak or will only say words and simple phrases.

While autism is basically assessed according to the associated impairments, it is important to remember that

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