[Educational intervention in autism from a psychological point of view]

Autism is the prototypical condition in autism spectrum disorders. It is a developmental disorder of biological origin that becomes apparent by the age of 3 and which is characterised by qualitative alterations affecting the development of social relations and interaction, communication and language, and the development of symbolic and imaginative activity.

The first manifestations of the disorder take place, in most cases and according to the two sources of information currently available (retrospective information provided by the families and the analysis of family videos), around the end of the first year (the age of 18 months is one of the ages most frequently mentioned by the families when asked about the matter). From an ontogenetic point of view, the coincidence between the times of the first manifestations of the disorder and the development of qualitatively human psychological functions is significant. Autism can, therefore, be understood to be a disorder that affects the genesis of psychological factors that are extremely relevant to human development and, thus, educational intervention must necessarily include the construction of these psychological functions as far as this is possible.

Educational treatment in autism and in autism spectrum disorders have to be based on two essential areas of knowledge that must guide the implementation of any intervention programme, i.e. developmental and ontogenetic knowledge of typical development and knowledge of the autistic way of 'being'. The essential part of the treatment carried out in autism lies in the flexible and creative integration of our knowledge in these two areas.