The Research Basis for Autism Intervention

Description

As the pastPresident ofthe Israel Society forAutism, it gives me great pleasure to c- gratulate Professor Schopler and his colleagues on the publication of their new book concerning the relationship between scientific research and treatment. When we in Israel began our specifically structured education program for young children with autism, our work was based on slim to scarceknow-how andinformation, and with no experience whatsoever. Whatever information we could gather was mostly from psychological educational centers in the U.S. One of the most important and significant connections was established between the TEACCH program of North Carolina, led and conducted by the two important scholars, Professor Eric Schopler and Professor Lee Marcus, and our Israel Society for Autism. During our many encounters, seminars, and conferences, we profited enormously from all their accumulated expertise and scientific research, while perhaps it was also an important experience for them to see how a young society with very limited means was eventually shaping its educational program and arriving at some excellent results. We, ofcourse, have the highest esteem for Governor Hunt who has been following this program with so much attention and support, and we still remember his visit to Israel with distinguished representatives of the TEACCH Program. I wish the new book every success. I know it will be an enormous contribution to all those who must cope with a difficult and painful issue—autism—for whom there is no end to the need for research and continuously improving methods of care and education. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-7 Treatment for Autism....Pages 9-24 Applying Developmental Principles to the Study of Autism....Pages 25-41 The Otherworldly Gifts of Autism....Pages 43-55 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Comparison of Siblings of Individuals with Autism and Siblings of Individuals with Other Diagnoses....Pages 59-73 Fragile X Syndrome and Autism....Pages 75-89 Analysis of Three Coding Region Polymorphisms in Autism....Pages 91-101 Autism, Stress, and Chromosome 7 Genes....Pages 103-113 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 Communicative Intent in Autism....Pages 117-133 Issues in Early Comprehension Development of Children with Autism....Pages 135-150 The Experience of Loneliness and Friendship in Autism....Pages 151-168 Front Matter....Pages 169-169 Issues in Early Diagnosis and Intervention with Young Children with Autism....Pages 171-185 Evaluating Treatment Effects for Adolescents and Adults with Autism in Residential Settings....Pages 187-198 Psychopharmacologic Treatment Studies in Autism....Pages 199-218 Sleep Problems in Autism....Pages 219-227 Concluding Comments....Pages 229-234