History Of Autism - Conversation With The Pioneers

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Includes evidence from many previously unpublished documents and illustrations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

Adam Feinstein is the editor of two autism-related websites, AutismConnect (www.autismconnect.org.uk) and Awares (www.awares.org), both run by Autism Cymru, Wales s national charity for autism. He also runs the acclaimed annual Awares international online autism conference. He writes extensively on autism for a range of publications, including The Guardian, broadcasts for the BBC, and gives talks at conferences around the world. He is the founder and editor of Looking Up, the monthly international autism newsletter (www.lookingupautism.org), and has contributed to the UK Medical Research Council s Autism Review. His much praised biography of the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda: A Passion for Life, was published in 2004. He has a son with autism.

Acknowledgments.
Foreword (Dame Stephanie Shirley).
Introduction.
1 The Two Great Pioneers.
2 The 1950s: The Seeds of Understanding.
3 Blaming the Parents.
4 The 1960s: The Parents Fight Back.
5 The Two Teaching Pioneers.
6 The 1970s: Major Steps Forward.
7 Definition, Diagnosis, and Assessment: The History of the Tool.
8 The 1980s and 1990s: Theories and Concepts.
9 Autism in the Developing Nations.
10 Where the Future Lies.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.