The issue presents three articles on autism. The first, "Autism--A Professional Challenge" by Carl Smith, introduces the other two articles and very briefly defines autism as "severe communication and behavior disorders that become manifest during the early stages of childhood development and that are characterized by a severely disabling inability to understand, communicate, learn, and participate in social relationships." The second article, "Autism--A Parent's Perspective" by Connie Toland, outlines various concerns of parents of autistic children pertaining to the search for appropriate programs to meet their children's needs. The third article, "University of Iowa's Program for Autistic Youngsters" by Sandy Furlong, briefly describes a program for autistic-type children operated by Child Psychiatry Services at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. (DLS)