Main description:

This unique book is the first to fully explore the history of autism - from the first descriptions of autistic-type behaviour to the present day. * Features in-depth discussions with leading professionals and pioneers to provide an unprecedented insight into the historical changes in the perception of autism and approaches to it * Presents carefully chosen case studies and the latest findings in the field * Includes evidence from many previously unpublished documents and illustrations * Interviews with parents of autistic children acknowledge the important contribution they have made to a more profound understanding of this enigmatic condition

Contents:

Acknowledgments ix Foreword by Dame Stephanie Shirley xv Introduction 1 1 The Two Great Pioneers 9 2 The 1950s: The Seeds of Understanding 37 3 Blaming the Parents 54 4 The 1960s: The Parents Fight Back 76 5 The Two Teaching Pioneers 117 6 The 1970s: Major Steps Forward 139 7 Definition, Diagnosis, and Assessment: The History of the Tool 165 8 The 1980s and 1990s: Theories and Concepts 203 9 Autism in the Developing Nations 233 10 Where the Future Lies 265 Notes 298 Bibliography 339 Index 367