How people who have been labeled "disabled" might become full participants in different areas of society.

The field of autism has been growing at an unprecedented rate in recent years. In addition to an actual rise in the number of classic DSM-IV cases, broadened diagnostic criteria have uncovered a wider range of autistic behaviors and ability levels. The third edition of this well-known text continues the mission of its predecessors--to present a comprehensive, readable, up-to-date overview of the field of autism, one that links research, theory, and practice in ways that are accessible to both practitioners and parents. Key features include: *Expanded Coverage--To accommodate the recent explosion of research, the book has been expanded from 11 to 14 chapters that examine the impact of autism on the individual and the family from infancy through adulthood. *Expertise--Internationally recognized experts offer cutting-edge treatment and educational information on topics such as early diagnosis, medical treatment, assessment, educational methods, language development, behavior regulation, and family support. *Neurobiological Research--Comprehensive medical research and treatment chapters provide an understandable overview of neurobiological research and current treatments including when and how medication can be employed as part of a treatment plan. *Focus on Early Years--Old sections I and III have been combined and a new 3-chapter section on early identification and intervention added. *Focus on Parents and Families--In addition to a chapter on the evolving role of families, a new chapter addresses family needs during the preschool years. *Integration of Assessment and Intervention--The chapters on assessment and intervention have been reorganized and more closely integrated in keeping with current thinking about their inter-relatedness. *Future Directions--Two chapters discuss emerging directions in this exploding field and how to make informed decisions among a variety of approaches. This book is appropriate for anyone--students, practitioners, or parents--who must provide care for an autistic child.

As the oldest statewide program serving autistic people in the United States, North Carolina's Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren) has had a major impact on ser vices for these people and their families. As we move into our second decade, we are frequently questioned about all aspects of our procedures, techniques, and program. Of all the questions that are asked, however, the one that comes up most frequently and seems to set our program apart from others concerns the ways in which we work with families. To help answer this question we identified what we have found to be the major components in our parent-professional relationships, and we elaborate on these with the most current research informa tion, clinical insights, and community knowledge available through the expertise of our distinguished contributors. Our purpose was to collect the most recent information and to organize the resulting volume along the outlines of the par ent-professional relationship found most important in the TEACCH program. Thus, the four main sections of the book include these four major ways profes sionals work with parents: as their advocates, their trainers, their trainees, and their reciprocal emotional support source. To the extent this effort was success ful, we acknowledge that it is easier to organize book chapters along these dimensions than it is to provide their implementation in the field.