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Arab Views on Autism

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Historical Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, mainly presenting with impairments in communication, distinct patterns of social interaction, and restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior (American Psychiatric Association). ASD includes autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The symptoms of ASD typically manifest by the age of 3 and persist throughout one’s life. However, the condition is commonly missed and not diagnosed until much later in the child’s life, especially if the child’s symptoms are mild to moderate in severity. Research into ASD has increased dramatically over the past few decades, but unfortunately, most of this research has been limited to affluent, English-speaking nations (Sharpe et al. 2011).

The Arab world consists of 22 member nations in North Africa and the Middle East. These nations include Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt,...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Ahmad Hassan

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  1. Ahmad Hassan
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Correspondence to Ahmad Hassan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Hassan, A. (2019). Arab Views on Autism. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102309-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102309-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

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