[Cytogenetic aspects of autism]

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which manifests itself in early childhood. It is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication and the presence of stereotyped patterns of behaviour. In 10 to 15 percent of autistic patients, it is possible to identify chromosomal abnormalities: non specific ones or those specific to a particular syndrome. In this study we report a literature review of these cytogenetic aberrations and we insist on the interest of the autistic patients karyotype analysis