Introduction. Autism is one of the most difficult to identify, comprehensive, permanent developmental disorders conditioned by the functioning of the brain. Aim of the study. The main aim of the study is the description of the symptoms of autism and psychological and pedagogical views on the attitudes of parents whose children suffer from autism. Material and methods. Meta-analysis of research papers in English, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian published over the last 30 years. Results. Autism manifests itself in early childhood and continues throughout a lifetime; it is more common among boys than girls; people with autism exhibit a specific group of symptoms. Psychological description of children with autism provides a classification of developmental problems and the description of the most common reactions of parents to these problems.

Key words: autism, children, symptomatology, parental attitudes.