This cross-disciplinary reference offers a thorough overview of the communication, language, social, and behavioral issues characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Based on meticulous research of the core areas of ASD--communication, socialization, emotional regulation, and symbolic development--the authors offer practical guidelines for intervention designed for children with autism and their families. In this comprehensive book, speech-language pathologists, clinicians, early interventionists, psychologists, and educators learn how to understand and address the social and communication challenges experienced by children with autism enhance assessment and intervention methods support families in their efforts to facilitate their children's development Chapters in this volume, written by leading clinical and research authorities in ASD, will allow readers to understand the principles and philosophies behind clinical and educational practices implemented with children with autism. Readers will also encounter guidelines to use when making critical assessment and intervention decisions to create more natural, child-centered supports. All professionals will learn how to improve their educational and developmental supports for young children with autism. Autism Spectrum Disorders is a part of the Communication and Language Intervention Series Table of Contents: Series Preface Editorial Advisory Board Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders Amy M. Wetherby and Barry M. Prizant PART I: THEORETICAL AND RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS: UNDERSTANDING THE DEVELOPMENTAL CONTEXT OF AUTISM Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children Catherine Lord and Susan Risi Joint Attention, Cultural Learning, and Language Acquisition: Implications for Children with Autism Malinda Carpenter and Michael Tomasello Joint Attention, Social Orienting, and Communication in Autism Peter Mundy and Jennifer Stella Intersubjectivity in Autism: The Roles of Imitation and Executive Function Sally J. Rogers and Loisa Bennetto Understanding the Nature of Communication and Language Impairments Amy M. Wetherby, Barry M. Prizant, and Adriana L. Schuler Sensory Processing and Motor Performance in Autism Spectrum Disorders Marie E. Anzalone and G. Gordon Williamson Neurological Underpinnings of Autism Natacha Akshoomoff PART II: ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION ISSUES Communication Intervention Issues for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Barry M. Prizant, Amy M. Wetherby, and Patrick J. Rydell More Able Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sociocommunicative Challenges and Guidelines for Enhancing Abilities Diane Twachtman-Cullen Promoting Peer Play and Socialization: The Art of Scaffolding Adriana L. Schuler and Pamela J. Wolfberg A Developmental Approach to Difficulties in Relating and Communicating in Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Related Syndromes Stanley I. Greenspan and Serena Wieder Understanding and Intervening with Children's Challenging Behavior: A Comprehensive Approach Lise Fox, Glen Dunlap, and Pamelazita Buschbacher Augmentative Communication and Literacy Pat Mirenda and Karen A. Erickson The Experience of Autism in the Lives of Families Barbara Domingue, Barbara Cutler, and Janet McTarnaghan Author Index Subject Index About the Authors: Amy M. Wetherby, Ph.D., is Professor and former Chair of the Department of Communication Disorders at Florida State University. She received her doctorate from the University of California-San Francisco/Santa Barbara in 1982. She has had more than 20 years of clinical experience in the design and implementation of communication programs for children with autism and severe communication impairments and is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association fellow. Dr. Wetherby's research has focused on communicative and social-cognitive aspects of language difficulties in children with autism and, more recently, on the early identification of children with communicative impairments. She has published extensively on these topics and presents regularly at national conventions. She is a co-author of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (with Barry M. Prizant [Applied Symbolix, 1993]). She is the Executive Director of the Florida State University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and is Project Director of U.S. Department of Education Model Demonstration Grant No. H324M980173 on early identification of communication disorders in infants and toddlers and Personnel Preparation Training Grant No. H029A10066 specializing in autism. Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., has more than 25 years experience as a clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant to young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related communication disabilities and their families. He is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association fellow and is a member of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disabilities. Formerly, he was Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Brown University Program in Medicine, Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson College, and Advanced Post-Doctoral Fellow in Early Intervention at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has developed family-centered programs for newly diagnosed toddlers with ASD and their families in hospital and university clinic environments. He has been an invited presenter at two State of the Science Conferences on ASD at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has contributed to the NIH Clinical Practice Guidelines for early identification and diagnosis of ASD. Dr. Prizant's current research and clinical interests include identification and family-centered treatment of infants, toddlers, and young children who have or are at risk for sociocommunicative difficulties, including ASD. |