Autism: A Very Short Introduction: 195 (Very Short Introductions)

by UtaFrith (Author)

• New

  Illustrated
  2008

  $10.73

  What causes autism? Is it a genetic disorder, or due to some unknown environmental hazard? Are we facing an autism epidemic? What are the main symptoms, and how does it relate to Asperger syndrome? Everyone has heard of autism, but the disorder itself is little understood. It has captured the public imagination through films and novels portraying individuals with baffling combinations of disability and extraordinary talent, and yet the reality is more often that it places a heavy burden on sufferers and their families. This Very Short Introduction offers a clear statement on what is currently known about autism and Asperger syndrome. Explaining the vast array of different conditions that hide behind these two labels, and looking at symptoms from the full spectrum of autistic disorders, it explores the possible causes for the apparent rise in autism and also evaluates the links with neuroscience, psychology, brain development, genetics, and environmental causes including MMR and Thimerosal. This short, authoritative, and accessible book also explores the psychology behind social impairment and savantism, and throughout, sheds light on what it is like to live inside the mind of the sufferer. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

• Used

  Paperback
  1990

  $3.25

  Although a number of theories have been put forward to explain the origin and nature of autism, most of them are associated with particular treatments. This book represents the first satisfactory account of what happens to the autistic mind. The key problem, according to Uta Frith is an inability to integrate pieces of information into coherent wholes, an ability to make sense particularly of the mind's own activities, thoughts, beliefs and feelings. From this beginning, the language, social and emotional problems all follow as the complex interactions of human development unfold. Some puzzles remain, but the reader will leave this book with the feeling that he or she is no longer floundering.

• New

  paperback
  

  $36.85

  The first edition of Autism: Explaining the Enigma quickly became a classic because it provided the first satisfactory psychological account of what happens in the mind of a person with autism. The book proposed that the key problems were an inability to recognize and think about thoughts (theory of mind), and an inability to integrate pieces of information into coherent wholes (central coherence). It suggested that from this beginning, problems of communication, social interaction, and flexibility follow as the complex interactions of human development unfold. This updated edition reports on how this explanation has stood the test of time. A new chapter outlines developments in neuropsychological research that have taken place since the book was first published and reviews the growing body of work on the neurological basis of autism. The accessible style and structure of the original edition have been retained, with information and references updated throughout.