Table of Contents

Foreword. Preface. Introduction. Part I: The Clinical Syndrome. Part IA: History. A selective scientific history of autism. Part IB: Assessment. Clinical evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. The autistic mind: the empathizing-systemizing theory. Evaluation and testing. Neurological assessment. Part IC: The Disorders. Asperger's syndrome. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Child disintegrative disorder. Rett syndrome. Incidence and prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders. Part ID: Target Symptoms. Social impairment. Development of language and communication. Disruptive behaviors. Restricted repetitive behaviors. Self-injury, aggression, and related problems. Associated symptoms. Sleep disorders. Comorbid disorders. Part II: The Causes. Part IIA: Etiology. Autism spectrum diagnoses in neurogenetic syndromes: phenocopies of autism? Parental and perinatal risk factors for autism. Environment and autism. Oxytocin, social cognition, and autism. Genomic architecture of autism spectrum disorders. Family studies of autism. Part IIB: Pathophysiology. The serotonin system in autism. The GABA system in autism. The glutamate system in autism. Role of reelin in autism. Neurotrophins and autism. Neuroligin and neurexins in autism. Part IIC: Neuroanatomy. Neuroanatomy of the brain in autism spectrum disorders. The amygdala in autism spectrum disorders. The cerebellum in autism spectrum disorders. Part IID: Imaging. Structural neuroimaging. Positron emission tomography. Functional magnetic resonance imaging. Part IIE: Immunology. The immune system and the neurobiology of autism spectrum disorders. Part III: The Treatments. Part IIIA: Pharmacological Treatments. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other serotonergic medications. Anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers. Antipsychotics. Treating hyperactivity in children with pervasive developmental disorders. Part IIIB: Alternative Treatments. Complementary and alternative therapies for autism. An experimental treatment for autism. Part IIIC: Behavioral, Educational, and Psychosocial Treatments. Applied behavior analysis. Educational approaches. Peer relationships: challenges and interventions. Part IV: Future Directions. Future Directions. Index.

About the Author

Eric Hollander, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Compulsive, Impulsive, and Autism Spectrum Disorders Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York. Previously, he was Esther and Joseph Klingenstein Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry and Director of the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Alex Kolevzon, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, New York.

Joseph T. Coyle, M.D., is the Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. Previously, he served as the Distinguished Service Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

"Clinically, the book has some excellent contributors with very strong chapters that make a major contribution and with conclusions that are likely to survive the effect of time. The editors have gathered very authoritative voices summarizing current knowledge on autism, which will undoubtedly make this textbook particularly useful for clinicians."-- "Mara Parellada, Ph.D., The American Journal of Psychiatry", "January 2011"