[Autistic or attachment disorders? An ill-defined border].

We report 3 cases of 3- to 5-year-old children with symptoms suggesting an autistic disorder (language delay or absence of language, communication withdrawal and developmental delay). We believe that these cases should be preferentially interpreted in terms of attachment disorder with autistic withdrawal rather than pure autistic disorder. Their prognosis is far better than pure autistic disorders. We discuss the differential diagnosis between autistic and attachment disorders.