Autism: Experience and Possible Solutions to Current Problems. A Look from Russia

Abstract

In the form of a discussion in connection with the provisions of the analytical review by F. Happé and U. Frith «Looking back to look forward — changes in the concept of autism and implications for future research», an analysis of the most relevant issues in the study of autism has been undertaken: trends in the study of autism in recent decades, the consequences of expanding its diagnostic criteria, the problem of choosing between dimensional and categorical approaches in the study of autism and determining the strategy of support, features of interdisciplinary interaction. It has been shown that the currently adopted concept of autism does not explain many related phenomena, that the treatment of autism as a developmental disorder only limits the possibilities of understanding its socio-biological nature, and, apparently, also affects the strategy of accompanying people with ASD. Possible requirements for a new classification and the concept of autism are presented: the need to take into account not only behavioral and cognitive, but also biomedical signs, as well as the functional significance of autism not only in impaired, but also in typical development.