ABSTRACT
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, encompassing signi cant heterogeneity in functioning across several domains, such as cognitive ability, language functioning, autism symptom severity, temperament, social functioning, quality of life, and comorbid psychopathology (Klinger, Dawson, & Renner, 2001). This heterogeneity appears to be due to complex interactions involving the neurological integrity of the individual interacting with dynamic developmental processes (Mundy, Henderson, Inge, & Coman, 2007). Geschwind and Levitt (2007) describe autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related conditions as “disconnectedness syndromes,” suggesting that the core impairments in social relatedness, nonverbal and verbal communication, and restricted interests and activities that characterize ASD vary in presentation based upon the extent of “disconnectedness” within speci c neural circuits.
