The prevalence of autism has increased dramatically over the past three decades, with the current estimate being that it affects 1 in 54 children in the United States. The UC Davis MIND Institute is a leading center focused on understanding, treating and preventing the disabilities that can be associated with autism through research, clinical care, training and outreach. This class will explore autism, largely through the lens of the work conducted by the MIND Institute. We will consider changing definitions of autism and methods of diagnosis, as well as efforts to understand its causes and approaches to improving quality of life of individuals with autism through biomedical, educational and technological approaches.
