his book is the result of more than 30 years of experience and hard, T resourceful work by Eric Schopler and his team-first as lonely pioneers, now as leaders whose influence extends as far as Kuwait, India, and Japan. It is the fruit of a concept so simple, human, and obvious that it is hard to believe that not so long ago it was both revolutionary and controversial. Parents of children in mid-adulthood well remember what it was like to be considered the cause of their children's problems, rather than part of whatever solutions could be achieved. In 1971, when Eric Schopler described us as...

The precise relationship between high-functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome is still a subject of debate. This volume provides a general overview of the disorder and present diverse opinions on diagnosis and assessment, neuropsychological issues, treatment, and related conditions. A special section features personal essays by individuals diagnosed with autism or Asperger Syndrome. The result is a comprehensive and useful survey of the current state of the field that will be of great interest to clinicians, teachers, researchers, and parents.

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...

The North Carolina State Legislature's mandate to Division TEACCH has three major components. First, to provide the most up-to-date and cost effective services possible for families with autistic or similar language impaired children; second, to conduct research aimed toward the better under standing of such devastating disorders; and third, to provide training for the professionals needed to pursue these goals. One element in achieving these aims is to hold annual conferences on topics of special importance to the under standing and treatment of autism and similar disorders. In addition to...

The precise relationship between high-functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome is still a subject of debate. This volume provides a general overview of the disorder and present diverse opinions on diagnosis and assessment, neuropsychological issues, treatment, and related conditions. A special section features personal essays by individuals diagnosed with autism or Asperger Syndrome. The result is a comprehensive and useful survey of the current state of the field that will be of great interest to clinicians, teachers, researchers, and parents.

The First International Leo Kanner Colloquium on Child Development, Devia tions, and Treatment explores relationships between experimental research, normal development, and interventions, with early infantile autism as a reference model of "relatively unambiguous abnormal development." Sponsored by the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Com munications handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the colloquium tackled the challenge of facilitat ing communications among scientists of different disciplines working in a spe cialized...

Division TEACCH, a statewide program in North Carolina, serves people with autism and their families through the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. TEACCH was one of the first, and remains one of the most comprehensive and effective, programs in the world working with this population. Over the years the puzzling and unusual behavior problems these children present have been among the most interesting and challenging of the enigmas parents and professionals confront. This book is designed to provide information on these behaviors that will be relevant and...

The state of North Carolina has had a longstanding concern and com- mitment to the understanding and treatment of autistic, communications- handicapped children and their families. This commitment found expres- sion in the only comprehensive statewide program for families confronted with this disability, Division for the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren (Division TEACCH). Our program staff has been privileged to respond to this commitment by developing and providing the needed services, and to engage in research informed by our clinical...

An important component of Division TEACCH's mandate from the Department of Psychiatry of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the North Carolina State Legislature is to conduct research aimed toward improving the understanding of developmental disabilities such as autism and to train the professionals who will be needed to work with this challenging population. An important mechanism to help meet these goals is our annual conference on topics of special importance for the understanding and treatment of autism and related disorders. As with the preceding books in this series...

Drawing on the TEACCH program's twenty years of experience in clinical services, education, and research, this volume synthesizes some of the most important theory and data related to the early identification and intervention in autism and related disorders. Chapters addressing clinical aspects, parental concerns, and legal issues will be useful in helping professionals understand and implement state-of-the-art services for young children and their families.