ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case of a 4-year-old boy who is brought to the general practitioner (GP) by his mother. The nursery school has suggested she bring him and ask for an autism assessment. This is their first child and they have no nephews or nieces to compare him with. His mother describes that he has always preferred to play on his own if other children are around. He also has a fascination for things that spin such as fans and carwashes, and sometimes he will pick up pieces of string, paper or plastic and twirl them in his fingers, watching intently. There also have to be two of the first four listed. It is now well established that there is a strong genetic component and research is ongoing in this area. This boy has enough symptoms for you to seriously consider one of the ASCs, sometimes called autism spectrum disorders or pervasive developmental disorders.
