Is infantile autism (also known as Kanner autism) really characterized by a mental deficiency associated with a lack of empathy and repetitive behaviors that prevent interaction with the environment? Far from clichés and preconceived ideas, this edition of Leo Kanner's work by Dr. Kevin Rebecchi, PhD reveals a text that is still relevant today, almost 50 years after it was written! It reveals a text describing, in a clinical context, several cases of autistic girls and boys, with commentary in an afterword providing a better grasp of the issues and perspectives relating to the questions and problems of autism and neurodiversity.

This book on psychology is about the rehabilitation of emotionally disturbed children. Case histories of 4 disturbed children.

Division TEACCH, located in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was one of the first programs in the country to understand that autism was an organic rather than a biologic condition. We were also one of the earliest programs to recognize the enormous variability in characteristics and behaviors of children described as autistic. For these reasons, the processes of diagnosis and assessment have always been important and central to our program. We are therefore extremely pleased to have a volume representing the most current thinking of the field's leaders in these important areas. As with the preceding books in our series, Current Issues in Autism, this volume is based on one of the annual TEACCH conferences held in Chapel Hill each May. The books are not simply published proceedings of the conference papers, however. Rather, conference participants are asked to develop a full chapter around their presentations. Other international experts whose work is beyond the scope of the conference, but related to the major theme, are asked to contribute chapters as well. These volumes are designed to provide the most current knowledge in research and professional practice available on the most important issues defining and clarifying autism.

The state of North Carolina has had a longstanding concern and com mitment to the understanding and treatment of autistic, communications handicapped children and their families. This commitment found expres sion in the only comprehensive statewide program for families confronted with this disability, Division for the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren (Division TEACCH). Our program staff has been privileged to respond to this commitment by developing and providing the needed services, and to engage in research informed by our clinical experience. Although many of the problems con cerning these developmentally disabled children remain to be solved, substantial progress has been made during this past decade of collabo ration among professionals, parents, and their government representa tives. The TEACCH staff has resolved to mark the effectiveness of this collaboration by holding a series of annual conferences focused on the several major issues confronting these children and their families. The conferences are held in order to bring together the best research knowl edge available to us from throughout the country, and to encourage par ticipation by the different professional disciplines and concerned parents. In addition these annual meetings form the basis for a series of books based on the conference theme. These books are, however, not merely the published proceedings of the presented papers: some chapters are expanded from conference presentations and many others were solicited from experts in the related areas of research and their service application.

As the pastPresident ofthe Israel Society forAutism, it gives me great pleasure to c- gratulate Professor Schopler and his colleagues on the publication of their new book concerning the relationship between scientific research and treatment. When we in Israel began our specifically structured education program for young children with autism, our work was based on slim to scarceknow-how andinformation, and with no experience whatsoever. Whatever information we could gather was mostly from psychological educational centers in the U.S. One of the most important and significant connections was established between the TEACCH program of North Carolina, led and conducted by the two important scholars, Professor Eric Schopler and Professor Lee Marcus, and our Israel Society for Autism. During our many encounters, seminars, and conferences, we profited enormously from all their accumulated expertise and scientific research, while perhaps it was also an important experience for them to see how a young society with very limited means was eventually shaping its educational program and arriving at some excellent results. We, ofcourse, have the highest esteem for Governor Hunt who has been following this program with so much attention and support, and we still remember his visit to Israel with distinguished representatives of the TEACCH Program. I wish the new book every success. I know it will be an enormous contribution to all those who must cope with a difficult and painful issue—autism—for whom there is no end to the need for research and continuously improving methods of care and education.

Introduction and Overview: Introduction to Early Identification and Intervention in Autism; M.M. Bristol, E. Schopler. A Parent's Perspective on the Preschool Years; R. Angell. Normal Childhood Development from Birth to Five Years; R.D. Cox. Specific Aspects of Autism: Early Social Development in Autism; C. Lord. Communication in Preschool Autistic Children; B.M. Prizant, A.M. Wetherby. Behavior Management in the Preschool Years; M.E. Van Bourgondien. Diagnostic, Assessment, and Programmatic Aspects: Assessment of the Young Autistic Child; L.M. Marcus, W.L. Stone. Medical Syndromes in Young Autistic Children; L.T. Taft. Interpreting Results to Parents of Preschool Children; V. Shea. Early Intervention for Children with Autism and Related Developmental Disorders; C. Lord, et al. Current Practices in Early Intervention for Children with Autism; J.G. Olley, et al. Federal Legislation for Young Children with Disabilities; J.E. Thiele. Index.

The North Carolina State Legislature's mandate to Division TEACCH has three major components. First, to provide the most up-to-date and cost effective services possible for families with autistic or similar language impaired children; second, to conduct research aimed toward the better under standing of such devastating disorders; and third, to provide training for the professionals needed to pursue these goals. One element in achieving these aims is to hold annual conferences on topics of special importance to the under standing and treatment of autism and similar disorders. In addition to training professionals and parents on the most recent de velopments in each conference topic, we are publishing a series, Current Issues in Autism, based on these conferences. These books are not, however, simply the published proceedings of the conference papers. Instead, some chapters are expanded conference presentations, whereas others come from national and in ternational experts whose work is beyond the scope of the conference, but es sential in our attempt at comprehensive coverage of the conference theme. These volumes are intended to provide the most current knowledge and profes sional practice available to us at the time.

This book presents a new perspective on the development of theory of mind based on an integration of empirical research that has been conducted on autism and William's syndrome.

The First International Leo Kanner Colloquium on Child Development, Devia tions, and Treatment explores relationships between experimental research, normal development, and interventions, with early infantile autism as a reference model of "relatively unambiguous abnormal development." Sponsored by the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Com munications handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the colloquium tackled the challenge of facilitat ing communications among scientists of different disciplines working in a spe cialized area. The meeting proved successful in generating an interplay and information exchange among scientists of diverse academic and professional orientation, who, if not completely able to agree on common factors, did nevertheless achieve awareness and clarification of their differences. The TEACCH conference and this volume have implications for all research efforts, within and outside the domain of mental health. This is particularly so at a time of limited dollar resources for research support. The present and foresee able future represent such a time-one when communication among fields, resource competition between basic and applied research, biomedical versus psychosocial research, and the question of research utilization assume a new commanding significance. Thus the question of accountability for research has come to the fore.

1. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Children: Current Status and Guidelines for Future Research.- 1. Nonbehavioral Child Psychotherapy.- 2. Brief Abstracts of Research Providing Findings on the Factors Affecting the Process and Outcome of Parent and Child Psychotherapy.- 2.1. Psychotherapeutic Treatment of the Maladjusted Child in the Ordinary School.- 2.2. The Outcome of Psychotherapeutic Intervention with Delinquent Boys.- 2.3. Outcome of Child Psychotherapy as a Function of Frequency of Session.- 2.4. Concluding Remarks.- 3. Guidelines in Formulating Nonbehavioral Child Psychotherapy Research.- 3.1. Defining the Conceptual Link between the Characteristics of the Children and Families Being Treated and the Nature of the Therapeutic Process.- 3.2. The Research Design and Hypotheses.- 4. Concluding Remarks.- 5. References.- 2. Cognitive Mediators of the Outcome of Psychotherapy with Children.- 1. Rationale for This Review.- 2. Method Used to Identify Studies.- 3. Theoretical Perspectives on a Linkage between Cognitive Factors and Therapy Outcomes.- 4. Research on Cognitive Capacity as a Mediator of Therapy Effects.- 4.1. The Problem of Age as a Mediator.- 4.2. Mental Age.- 4.3. Piagetian Cognitive Level.- 4.4. Intelligence.- 5. Research on Cognitions as Mediators of Therapy Effects.- 5.1. Causal Attributions.- 5.2. Locus of Control.- 5.3. Control-Related Beliefs.- 6. Research on the Malleability of Child Cognitions.- 7. Research on the Effects of Modifying Child Cognitions.- 8. Summary and Critique of the Evidence.- 9. Recommendations for Future Research.- 10. References.- 3. Improving the Peer Relationships of Rejected Children.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Characteristics of Peer-Rejected Children.- 2.1. Definition.- 2.2. Correlates.- 2.3. Critical Features.- 2.4. Clinical Implications.- 3. Models of Peer Rejection and Treatment Approaches.- 3.1. Social Skills Deficits Model.- 3.2. Negative Behavior Model.- 3.3. Reputation Model.- 3.4. Integrated Model.- 4. Clinical Issues.- 4.1. Assessing Peer Relations without Sociometrics.- 4.2. Gaining Access to Peer Groups.- 4.3. Developmental Considerations.- 5. Conclusions.- 6. References.- 4. Diversion from the Juvenile Justice System: Research Evidence and a Discussion of Issues.- 1. Background Considerations.- 1.1. The Specific Context of the Adolescent Diversion Project.- 2. Developing the Original Model.- 2.1. Participant Youth.- 2.2. Student Volunteers.- 2.3. Intervention Model.- 2.4. Results.- 2.5. Conclusions from the Phase One Project.- 3. Phase Two of ADP Development.- 3.1. Youths Involved in Phase Two.- 3.2. Project Operation in Phase Two.- 3.3. Results from Phase Two.- 4. Phase Three of ADP Development.- 4.1. Youths Involved in Phase Three.- 4.2. Project Operation in Phase Three.- 4.3. Results from Phase Three.- 5. Phase Four of ADP Development.- 5.1. Youths Involved in Phase Four.- 5.2. Project Operation in Phase Four.- 5.3. Results from Phase Four.- 6. Critical Issues in the Operation of Diversion Programs.- 6.1. Clinical and Administrative Issues.- 7. Concluding Comments.- 8. References.- 5. Parental Child Abduction: The Problem and Possible Solution.- 1. Introduction.- 1.1. Epidemiology of Child Abduction.- 1.2. Effects on the Child.- 1.3. Possible Solutions.- 2. The Florida Project.- 2.1. Procedures.- 2.2. Outcome.- 3. The National Project.- 3.1. Changes in Procedures.- 3.2. Outcome.- 4. Discussion.- 5. References.- 6. Genetic Factors in Childhood Psychopathology: Implications for Clinical Practice.- 1. Introduction.- 1.1. Advance of Genetic Knowledge.- 1.2. Intelligence and Genetics.- 1.3. Mental Retardation.- 2. Personality and Psychopathology.- 2.1. Normal Personality.- 2.2. Genetic Factors in Behavioral Disorders.- 2.3. Child Psychopathology.- 3. Prevention of Mental Illness.- 4. Social and Ethical Problems Raised by the New Genetic Information.- 5. Other Ethical Issues.- 6. Conclusions.- 7. References.- 7. Obesity of Infancy and Early Childhood: A Diagnostic Schema.