This volume covers several perspectives on autism which bring together the most recent scientific views of the nature of this disorder. A number of themes organize major developments and emerging areas in autism: Cognitive and neural systems development: how autism arises in the behavior and thought of very young children. Discovering brain mechanisms underlying social and cognitive deficits in autism: how we can explain "social awkwardness" and poor language comprehension in terms of malfunctions of brain mechanisms, revealed by fMRI studies of people with autism. Integrating information about genes, brain, and biological mechanisms with behavioral evidence. Linking the science of autism with lives lived: how the new information about autism impacts people with autism and real-world considerations.