Autism: an approach to learning

The literature on autism as a childhood disorder is briefly reviewed, concentrating on diagnosis and methods of treatment. The autistic child is treated as a complex organism with many unknown factors in his development. A dysfunction in sensory integration is thought to interfere with the development of physical, intellectual, and emotional behavior. Because the primary cause of autism remains undetermined, no simple or direct approach to the treatment of the autistic child is known. The approach used for training autistic children at a summer camp sponsored by the North Carolina Society for Autistic Children is described, including the operational structure, daily activities, and training techniques. Informal observations of the physical and psychomotor characteristics of the children are discussed, and a short case report is included.