ABSTRACT

The two essential components to any disease theory are recognition of a symptom or syndrome and the discovery of underlying biological abnormalities. The first requirement of a disease theory is the recognition of a cluster of undesirable traits or characteristics that tend to occur together. The second essential element in any disease theory is the hypothesis that the cluster of traits is 'symptomatic' of some underlying biological disturbance. As in the case of Down's syndrome, it is possible to put forward theories about the origin and underlying nature of childhood autism, but the main techniques of helping the children, like the one described, are educational rather than medical. The strictly medical role is limited to differential diagnosis and assessment, and help where necessary with sedatives for nocturnal restlessness. In fact, much of the progress in the field has been achieved by doctors who have ventured outside the limits of a restricted 'medical model'.