ABSTRACT
The autistic-spectrum disorders are specified by qualitative and quantitative alterations of social and communication interactions, as well as by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviours and activities. Currently, these disorders are usually diagnosed at the age of 3 years (Baird, Cass, & Slonims, 2003; Volkmar et al., 1999), though sometimes they are identified around the age of 4 years during the systematic paediatric examinations conducted in France by public health doctors in pre-primary school.
