ABSTRACT
The aim of this book is to acquaint you with current research and thinking about autism, in a concise and comprehensive way. Clearly it cannot be exhaustive in this respect-or it would become like so many “handbooks” which are so large they need two hands to lift! Further reading is suggested in two waysreferences in the text will allow you to find out more about specific issues raised, while suggested reading (usually in the form of books or review articles) appears at the end of each chapter, allowing you to deepen your knowledge of those aspects of autism which particularly interest you. Throughout the book the discussion of points has been kept as brief as possible, in the hope that the book will provide a manageable overview of autism, tying together a number of quite different areas. It should whet your appetite for the more detailed consideration of aspects of autism, provided by the suggested readings.
