ABSTRACT
Psychologists working in school settings today more than in previous years will experience increased contact with children with autism, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), and mental retardation (MR). There are at least two reasons that may account for this increased contact. First, the incidence of autism and related PDDs appears to have risen in the past 20 years. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that autism and PDDs are not as rare as once believed, with some prevalence estimates as high as about 6 in 1,000 (Chakrabarti & Fombonne, 2001). To reflect this trend, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) prevalence rates for autism were revised from 2 to 5 per 10,000 to 2-20 per 10,000 with 5 per 10,000 reported as the median prevalence rate (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). A second reason that school professionals are encountering more children with autism, PDD, and MR today is that these children are included more frequently in regular classroom programs than previously. The responsibility for providing appropriate programs now extends beyond special education personnel to include virtually everyone working in the school setting. School professionals should therefore be knowledgeable about autism, PDD, and MR in order to facilitate acceptance of these children and to help in implementing effective educational and intervention programs.
