Autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability: Considerations from its complexity

Sixty years after Kanner and Asperger started the complex process of understanding Autism, the key notion of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been introduced. Its aim is to capture both homogeneous and individual features of persons with Autism. That is, people with ASD share more as persons than as "pathologies". Based on this premise, the paper discusses certain issues and challenges to our current knowledge of ASD, and analyses form a heuristic model its complexity as a concept. This complexity and its pending issues suggest exploratory pathways of interest both scientifically and from a social and personal viewpoint. They can also suggest guidelines for intervention and for the functioning of support organisations.