A Twin Study of Individuals with Infantile Autism

Abstract

In his original description of the syndrome of infantile autism, Kanner (1943) noted that the condition was distinctive in that in most cases the children’s behavior had appeared abnormal right from early infancy. He suggested the presence of an inborn defect of presumably constitutional origin. Since then there have been numerous hypotheses concerning the possible nature and origins of this defect (see Ornitz, 1973; Rutter, 1974). However, in spite of the supposition that the disorder is inborn there have been surprisingly few attempts to investigate possible genetic influences (see Rutter, 1967; Hanson & Gottesman, 1976).