Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Section I Theoretical and Developmental Framework
• Chapter 1 Introduction (p. 3)
• Chapter 2 Treatment for Autism: From Science to Pseudo-Science or Anti-Science (p. 9)
• Historical Background (p. 10)
• Perpetuation of the Research-Clinic Gap (p. 11)
• Bridging the Gap between Research and Service (p. 12)
• Autism as Spectrum Disorder (p. 13)
• Intervention Spectrum (p. 14)
• Bridging the Controlled Research to Service Gap (p. 14)
• Medical Model (p. 15)
• Habilitation Approach (p. 17)
• The Autism Culture (p. 19)
• Implications for Intervention by Social Policy (p. 21)
• References (p. 23)
• Chapter 3 Applying Developmental Principles to the Study of Autism (p. 25)
• Developmental Principles in the Study of Persons with Autism (p. 26)
• Specificity, Normalcy, and Uniqueness: Issues from Psychopathology (p. 32)
• Conclusions: Implications for Interventions (p. 37)
• References (p. 38)
• Chapter 4 The Otherworldly Gifts of Autism: Mystical Implementation of Facilitated Communication in the Ultra-Orthodox Community in Israel (p. 43)
• The Cultural Construction of Autism (p. 43)
• The Controversy Over Facilitated Communication (p. 44)
• The Implementation of FC in the Haredi Community in Israel (p. 45)
• The Religious Rationale of FC in the Haredi Context (p. 46)
• "What Does the Soul Say" in FC Sessions? (p. 47)
• Clinical Implications of Metaphysical FC (p. 51)
• Between Clinical and Metaphysical FC (p. 52)
• References (p. 54)
• Section II Biological Perspectives
• Chapter 5 Comparison of Siblings of Individuals with Autism and Siblings of Individuals with other Diagnoses: An Empirical Summary (p. 59)
• Method (p. 61)
• Results (p. 64)
• Discussion (p. 68)
• Implications for Interventions (p. 70)
• References (p. 71)
• Chapter 6 Fragile X Syndrome and Autism (p. 75)
• Fragile X Syndrome (p. 76)
• Fragile X Syndrome and Autism: Review of the Literature (p. 77)
• Studies by the Carolina Fragile X Project (p. 79)
• Implications for Intervention (p. 85)
• Summary and Future Directions (p. 86)
• References (p. 87)
• Chapter 7 Analysis of Three Coding Region Polymorphisms in Autism: Evidence for an Association with the Serotonin Transporter (p. 91)
• The Organic Basis of Autism (p. 91)
• Genetics and Behavior Genetics of Autism (p. 92)
• Participants (p. 94)
• Genotyping (p. 95)
• Statistical Methods (p. 95)
• Results and Discussion (p. 95)
• Clinical Implications (p. 97)
• References (p. 98)
• Chapter 8 Autism, Stress, and Chromosome 7 Genes (p. 103)
• Autism as a Complex Trait, Candidate Loci, and Genes (p. 104)
• Is Autism Associated with Inherited Impairments in Stress Responses? (p. 106)
• Chromosome 7 and Autism (p. 108)
• Prospects (p. 110)
• References (p. 111)
• Section III Communication and Social Issues
• Chapter 9 Communicative Intent in Autism (p. 117)
• Communicative Intent: Definition (p. 118)
• Communicative Intent: Determining Intentionality (p. 119)
• Elements of Communicative Intent (p. 120)
• Development of Communicative Intent in Typically Developing Children (p. 121)
• Communicative Intent and Autism (p. 122)
• Purpose of the Current Study: Importance of Systematic Procedures (p. 124)
• Participants (p. 125)
• Quantitative Aspects of Communicative Intent (p. 126)
• Qualitative Aspects of Communicative Intent (p. 127)
• Summary (p. 128)
• Possible Subtyping According to Communicative Intent (p. 129)
• Implications for Intervention (p. 130)
• References (p. 131)
• Chapter 10 Issues in Early Comprehension Development of Children with Autism (p. 135)
• Speech Perception in Infants (p. 136)
• Speech Perception in Autism (p. 137)
• Constructing Meaning in Social Interactions (p. 138)
• Early Strategies for the Social Construction of Meaning (p. 139)
• Deficits in Early Social Construction of Meaning by Children with Autism (p. 140)
• Later Strategies for Constructing Meaning in Social Interactions (p. 143)
• Cascading Deficits in Construction of Meaning by Children with Autism (p. 144)
• Symbol Formation and Autism (p. 144)
• Implications for Intervention (p. 145)
• Summary (p. 146)
• References (p. 147)
• Chapter 11 The Experience of Loneliness and Friendship in Autism: Theoretical and Practical Issues (p. 151)
• Loneliness in Typical Development: Conceptual Basis (p. 152)
• Loneliness in Autism (p. 152)
• Friendship in Autism (p. 154)
• Summary and Conclusions (p. 163)
• References (p. 164)
• Section IV Education and Interventions
• Chapter 12 Issues in Early Diagnosis and Intervention with Young Children with Autism (p. 171)
• Factors in Early Diagnosis (p. 172)
• Intervention Strategies Based on Learning Characteristics (p. 174)
• Basic Components of a Preschool Program (p. 176)
• Brief Review of Program Models (p. 178)
• Examples of Specific Intervention Strategies (p. 179)
• The Center-Based Early Intervention Demonstration Project for Children with Autism (p. 181)
• Implications for Future Intervention Research and Practice (p. 182)
• References (p. 183)
• Chapter 13 Evaluating Treatment Effects for Adolescents and Adults with Autism in Residential Settings (p. 187)
• Determinants of Outcome Measures (p. 188)
• Individual/Family/Program Goals (p. 188)
• Program Evaluation Research (p. 189)
• Effects of Residential Treatment on Children with Autism (p. 191)
• A Multidimensional Approach to Evaluating a Residential Treatment Program for Adults (p. 191)
• Conclusions Based on Available Research (p. 194)
• Methodological Considerations (p. 195)
• Summary (p. 196)
• References (p. 197)
• Chapter 14 Psychopharmacologic Treatment Studies in Autism (p. 199)
• Criteria for Empirically Supported Treatments (p. 200)
• Review of Psychopharmacologic Treatments in Autism (p. 203)
• References (p. 214)
• Chapter 15 Sleep Problems in Autism (p. 219)
• Normal Sleep (p. 219)
• Sleep Problems in Children (p. 222)
• Sleep Problems in Autism (p. 223)
• The Etiology of Sleep Problems in Autism (p. 224)
• Treatment of Sleep Problems in Autism (p. 225)
• Conclusions (p. 226)
• References (p. 226)
• Chapter 16 Concluding Comments (p. 229)
• The Developmental Approach in Autism (p. 229)
• The Biological Approach in Autism (p. 230)
• Interventions Based on Research Results (p. 231)
• The Multidisciplinary Approach in Autism (p. 232)
• The Cultural Approach in Autism (p. 233)
• Index (p. 235)