Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorders, or ASD, is an umbrella term commonly used to describe several developmental disorders in which individuals have substantial differences in the nature of their social development and communication skills, as well as unusual behaviors and interests. ASD is not a diagnostic category, but is widely used to refer to three of the five diagnoses under the category of pervasive developmental disorders. Those three diagnoses are Autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

Early Intervention Colorado Autism Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers (2010) (PDF: 495kb)

The Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: Calendar Year 2010 provides short, plain language synopses of the top twenty ASD research breakthroughs for 2010. The articles are grouped according to the questions of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research, which was released in 2009. The Strategic Plan is organized around six important questions for people with ASD and their families regarding diagnosis, the biology of autism, risk factors, treatments and interventions, services and supports, and questions about issues faced by adolescents, adults and seniors with autism and their families.