Social Functioning in Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes a family of neurodevelopmental disorders with very early onset that affect many aspects of behavior and cognition. In particular, it refers to a set of deficiencies concerning three major domains: social functioning, communication, and stereotyped behavior. Given the importance of the ability to interact with others in daily life, social functioning impairment in ASD has received much attention from different research domains and is considered a core characteristic of this pathology. Understanding how autism affects social functioning development at both behavioral and neural level is crucial for the conception of effective and early interventions to improve social and communicative skills in individuals suffering from this pathology. In this chapter we will focus on the several and different aspects of social functioning impairments in ASD by reviewing the literature on this topic. We will then discuss the important role of the natural hormone oxytocin in social behavior and its therapeutic potential for autism. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel