Autism and Asperger Syndrome

by Uta Frith (Editor)

Overview

The story of autism contains many puzzles, but none more tantalizing than the problem of the eccentric individual who appears to be both intellectually gifted and mentally handicapped and who finds it difficult to deal with everyday social interaction and communication. Such individuals are increasingly recognized as suffering from Asperger Syndrome. The argument presented in this book is that they suffer from a form of autism, but that they can compensate for this handicap to a remarkable degree. In this volume the foremost experts in the field discuss the diagnostic criteria of the syndrome, richly illustrated with examples from their clinical practices. Clinical accounts are balanced with personal accounts and some as yet preliminary research data. Asperger's classic paper is translated and annotated. The insights of this pioneer of autism have been unjustly neglected but reflect a very modern awareness of the many forms of autism and the wide range of individual differences in the men and women who suffer from this disorder. Asperger Syndrome individuals with their intellectual and linguistic ability and their desire for social adaptation are extremely vulnerable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521386081
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/17/1991
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.67(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; 1. Asperger and his syndrome; 2. 'Autistic psychopathy' in childhood; 3. The relationship between Asperger's syndrome and Kanner's autism; 4. Clinical and neurobiological aspects of Asperger syndrome in six family studies; 5. Asperger syndrome in adulthood; 6. Living with Asperger's syndrome; 7. The autobiographical writings of three Asperger syndrome adults: problems of interpretation and implications for theory; Name index; Subject index.

Editorial Reviews

"The subject of this delightful book is the most important in child psychiatry and possibly in medicine, because at issue is the essence of our human nature....Buy Frith's book as a treat, read it, and send it to an editor as a reminder that brevity is not always beneficial; it took Asperger sixty pages to make his point, and Kanner thirty-three." The Lancet

"Uta Frith not only provides the first-ever translation into English of Asperger's paper, but has brought together a variety of fascinating phenomenological and narrative accounts of the syndrome and its varied presentations....Autism and Asperger Syndrome is an invaluable book, not only for researchers, therapists and clinicians, but for parents and teachers, for everyone concerned with understanding autism, and seeing its clinical and its human dimension too." Oliver Sacks

"...highly recommended to a variety of readers, including medical and behavioural scientists, parents, friends and even sufferers from Asperger's syndrome. It is clear, succinct and so far unique in its presentation of important findings relating to this impairment." Nature

"The strength of this book is in its rich description of the range of behaviors that characterize autistic spectrum disorders and in the review of the links between social deficits in these disorders and possible underlying cognitive mechanisms....a well written, thoughtful, and interesting text that is well worth reading." Joseph Piven, American Journal of Psychiatry

"I found the text informative and fascinating....Its specificity, clarity, and depth make Autism and Asperger Syndrome the best reference we have found about the syndrome." Whole Earth Review

"This book provides an in-depth analysis on Asperger's, autism and how the two are related." Columbia, MO, Missourian

From the Publisher