[Typology of early childhood autism]

On the basis of the study of 96 children with the syndrome of early childhood autism the author proposes a model of the pathopsychological structure of this syndrome with primary disturbances directly related to the disease and secondary manifestations of mental abnormalities and pathological hypercompensation. On the basis of this structure the author has identified four groups of children differing in the severity of primary disturbances, gravity of mental disorders, and forms of hypercompensation. The proposed typology may be useful for gaining better understanding into the regularities of early childhood autism and for further differentiation of a psychocorrective approach.