[Towards integrated care in autism]

Autism entails major consequences because it affects the development of family relations and social groups, and because of the uncertainty of its causes and of the choices of therapeutic and educational methods. The diversity of clinical pictures leads to the necessity of individualized programs thanks to a global evaluation of the difficulties and capacities of the child. The authors propose a comprehension of the disorder--independently of its causes--from an early disturbance of the development of interpersonal relations, especially emotional. Care aims at respecting the means of development the child has at his disposal by supporting his natural partners--family, social and educational milieu--and by adding direct intervention according to age, intensity and evolution of the disorder. The integration of these different means implies the networking of multiple and complementary structures.