HELLO EVERYONE My name is X and during all the past year, I have worked in an association for autistic children called Autisme Rhône Ain, that came under the control of Autisme France but it doesn't exist anymore since it had not enough grants-in-aid. So I will talk about autism, which is a part of my skills area. In the first part, I will make a short introduction; then I will have to talk about Kanner, who made a description of autism in 1943; and at last, I will mention the TEACCH method I was trained for. You're free to ask questions at any moment during my presentation.

INTRO:
Autism is also called « autistic spectrum disorder » (ASD), « Pervasive developmental disorder » (PDD) or « Trouble envahissant du développement » in french. The main signs and symptom involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors. It's a disorder that is usually first diagnosed in early chilhood because the signs all begin before the child is 3 years old (after the age of six months) and generally follows a steady course without remission. The prevalence of autism is about 1-2 per 1 000 (a thousand) people. The number of people known to have autism has increased since 1980's, due to changes in diagnostic practice. Boys are at higher risk for autism than girls. The sex ratio is now about 4 boys for 1 girl. It is important to know that autism can be associated with mental retardation but it's not an obligation! 75 to 80 percent of people with autism are mentally retarded and in this percentage, 15 to 20 percent are considered severly retarded with an Intellectual Quotient below 35. A few show exceptional intelligence. But the interpretation of scores is difficult because most intelligence tests are not designed for people with autism. Their intellectual potential is only masked by a functionnal disturbance. Moreover, when they are tested, some areas of ability may be normal or even above average, and some others may be especially weak. For example, a child with