Social behavior and the neurology of autism

Autism is both a neurologically based syndrome and one that is characterized by specific impairments in social behaviors. Therefore, in order to understand autism it may be necessary to link research on the neurology of autism with research on the social behaviors of children afflicted with this disorder. Unfortunately studies have rarely attempted to determine the degree to which anomalies in neuroanatomical or neurochemical systems are associated with specific symptoms in these children. To facilitate the future integration of neurological and behavioral research in this area, this paper provides a selective review of the social deficits of children with autism. The degree to which research on models of the neurology of autism can be linked with behavioral data in the study of this syndrome is also considered.