Autism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

Uta Frith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199207569 | ISBN-13: 978-0199207565 | Publication Date: November 15, 2008 | Edition: 1

What causes autism? Is it a genetic disorder, or due to some unknown environmental hazard? Are we facing an autism epidemic? What are the main symptoms, and how does it relate to Asperger syndrome? Everyone has heard of autism, but the disorder itself is little understood. It has captured the public imagination through films and novels portraying individuals with baffling combinations of disability and extraordinary talent, and yet the reality is that it often places a heavy burden on sufferers and their families. This Very Short Introduction offers a clear statement on what is currently known about autism and Asperger syndrome. Explaining the vast array of different conditions that hide behind these two labels, and looking at symptoms from the full spectrum of autistic disorders, it explores the possible causes for the apparent rise in autism and also evaluates the links with neuroscience, psychology, brain development, genetics, and environmental causes including MMR and Thimerosal. This VSI also explores the psychology behind social impairment and savantism, and sheds light on what it is like to live inside the mind of the sufferer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book provides a gripping account of exciting new research developments that carry the hope that they may go a long way towards an explanation of the nature of autism." Professor Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London.

"This highly readable book provides a history of autism - one of the most perplexing of mental conditions - along with an account of the latest research and theory of the condition ... Autistic people do not try to understand others by suppsing that they act as they do because they have certain wants and beliefs ... What others do and even what thay do themselves remain something of mystery to them. The book does an outstanding job in helping the reader to appreciate the unexpected consequences of this unusual deficiency. Indeed the final merit of the book lies in the clear picture it presents of the autictic person." Professor David Premack, University of Pennsylvania. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

The first edition of Autism: Explaining the Enigma quickly became a classic because it provided the first satisfactory psychological account of what happens in the mind of a person with autism. The book proposed that the key problems were an inability to recognize and think about thoughts (theory of mind), and an inability to integrate pieces of information into coherent wholes (central coherence). It suggested that from this beginning, problems of communication, social interaction, and flexibility follow as the complex interactions of human development unfold. This updated edition reports on how this explanation has stood the test of time. A new chapter outlines developments in neuropsychological research that have taken place since the book was first published and reviews the growing body of work on the neurological basis of autism. The accessible style and structure of the original edition have been retained, with information and references updated throughout. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (November 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199207569
• ISBN-13: 978-0199207565
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important concepts for Educators & Psychologists, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Autism: Explaining the Enigma (Paperback)

As a professional counselor who recently started a support group for parents with autistic children this book has given me vital information on how to conceptualize this disorder. This knowledge has enabled me to connect with parents in a very realistic manner. When I interact with them and answer their questions, they hear the ring of truth in what I communicate to them about their child's behaviors and reality. I am very grateful to Uta Frith for writing such a fine book.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really information-rich book!, February 27, 2000

By 

Alex Carter (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autism: Explaining the Enigma (Paperback)

Having recently been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, I have been collecting books on autism and asperger's syndrome, and this one is one of the best in my collection. I like the way Uta Frith writes, she always has lots of data, hers are always good solid scientific books. One interesting thing is the picture on the cover. First, I thought well, it's just some picture Frith likes, and then in the book she starts analyzing it. Wow, it's about some people working to cheat another person! This is held up to be some kind of healthy normality that we poor people with autism spectrum disorders can't "enjoy". Well I want no part of it. To me it's far more interesting to look at the clothing the people are wearing in the picture, I have spent hours looking at it - the clothing of that time is incredible, and further, the artist had to have good enough paints to reproduce it in the painting. Now that's interesting! I guess that's a lot of the difference right there, here's Uta Frith crying in her Wheaties because people like me are behind in appreciating cheating, and meanwhile I'm more interested in how incredible the picture is visually, and have no desire to cheat anyone. Uta Frith quotes some fairy tale about a mermaid who tried to become human and never could walk right and hurt all the time, and wasn't liked anyway among humans, etc. and compares that to autism-spectrum people, which isn't very nice, and she also talks about autism like it's physically painful or something, which it's not, but all in all I still really like her books because they're scientific. I agree with the lack of "theory of mind" stuff and now that I know the exact definitions of the words, I agree that at least in my case I have "sympathy" but not "empathy". I think this book can be a big help to someone who wants to understand autism.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great primary source for research purposes, April 4, 2003

By 

John Harpur (Trim, Meath, IRELAND) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Autism: Explaining the Enigma (Paperback)

This is a book for researchers primarily. It introduces Frith's theory of weak central coherence as an underlying mechanism in autism. The theory runs (in a nutshell) that autistic individuals do not exhibit context appropriate responses to situation, events, etc. Relevance theory (cf. Sperber & Wilson) oils the wheels of Frith's theory.

The book opens with a long exegesis on a historical case and performs more than a bit of post mortem diagnosis. Such rational reconstructions of the past can be either very rivetting or tiresome. I wasn't convinced that the story avoided the latter pitfall. More enjoyable if shortened.

The rest of the book concentrates on theories of autism and their testability. The tussle between theory of mind (cf. Baron-Cohen's book: Mindblindness) is discussed and gives a brief foretaste of disputes that dominated the nineties'. However, the difficulty that central coherence itself faces is how to shape it into a coherent scientific theory? Frith doesn't entirely skirt this issue and there is much to be gained from simply reflecting on her approach to theory development.

Be warned that lighting up the research stage is a major focus of the work, and this will limit it's appeal. My final comment is not to buy this edition of the book, but to wait for the June 2003 edition. It can only be better.