Infantile Autism

Bernard Rimland (1928-2006), Ph.D., was a psychologist and founder of the Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute. After diagnosing his own son with autism, he undertook extensive research into its causes, eventually publishing Infantile Autism in 1964. The book shattered the then-accepted myth that autism was an emotional disorder caused by "refrigerator mothers" and gave hope to thousands of autistic children and their parents. The thesis was so ground-breaking that it won The Century Psychology Series Award for its significant contribution to the field of psychology. Having dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to autism, Dr. Rimland's contributions to the field go well beyond this book. His work has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals with autism and their families.Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D., is the director of the Autism Research Institute (ARI). Active in the field of autism for over 35 years, he was named director of ARI in 2006 after the passing of autism pioneer and advocate, Dr. Bernard Rimland. Dr. Edelson has conducted research in a variety of areas comprising behavior, biomedical, sensory issues, and cognition; he has published peer-reviewed research articles with many notables in the autism field, including Drs. Bernard Rimland, Ivar Lovaas, Temple Grandin, Melvin Kaplan, and Margaret Bauman. Dr. Edelson is the consulting editor for the research journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. He is a participant on the Panel of Professional Advisors for the Autism Society of America (ASA). He is a former ASA Board member and a past president of the Autism Society of Oregon.

Bernard Rimland was an astonishingly farsighted pioneer in drawing a road map towards a neuroscience of autism. It is a fitting tribute that his seminal book, published fifty years ago, is made available to a new generation of researchers, together with reflections on its influence on our understanding of autism today.

• Foreword to the New Edition. Margaret L. Bauman, M.D, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Integrated Center for Child Development, Newton, Massachusetts, US. Foreword to the New Edition. Temple Grandin, Ph.D, autism advocate and Associate Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University, US. Introduction to the New Edition. Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D, Director, Autism Research Institute, US. Foreword by Leo Kanner. Preface. General Introduction. Introduction to Part I. The Controversies and their Resolution: A Critical Analysis of the Literature. Introduction to Chapter 1. Stephen M. Edelson. 1. The Syndrome of Early Infantile Autism: Background, Course, Diagnosis and Prognosis. A. Background. B. Course and Symptom of the Disease. C. Prognosis. D. The Diagnosis of Autism. Introduction to Chapter 2. Stephen M. Edelson. 2. The Parents of Autistic Children. Parent Occupations. Stephen M. Edelson. Introduction to Chapter 3. Stephen M. Edelson. 3. The Etiology of Infantile Autism: The Problem of Biological versus Psychological Causation. A. The Arguments for Psychogenesis of Infantile Autism. B. The Case for Biological Causation. C. Psychogenesis as an Inadequate and Pernicious Hypothesis. A Commentary on Chapter 3. Robert K. Naviaux, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pathology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, US. Introduction to Chapter 4. Stephen M. Edelson. 4. The Differentiation of Early Infantile Autism from Childhood Schizophrenia. Introduction to Part II. A Theory of Autism: Its Nature and Cause. Introduction to Chapter 5. Stephen M. Edelson. 5. Autism as a Cognitive Dysfunction. A. The Conceptual Impairment. B. A Hypothesized Relationship Between the Cognitive Dysfunction in Autism and the Reticular Formation of the Brain Stem. Cognitive Dysfunction: Impairment in Memory. Stephen M. Edelson. Introduction to Chapter 6. Stephen M. Edelson. 6. The Specific Biology of Infantile Autism: Sensory Phenomena, Psychopharmacology, Autopsy Reports and Hyperoxia as Related to the Reticular Formation. A. The Reticular Formation and Perception. B. Psychopharmacology. C. Autopsy Findings and Other Attempts to Determine the Organic Basis of Autism. D. Hyperoxia as a Possible Causative Factor. E. Discussion. Reflections on Bernard Rimland and the 50th Anniversary of Infantile Autism. Paul Millard Hardy, M.D., Hardy Healthcare PLLC, US. Rimland's Contributions: The Role of Sensory Processing Challenges in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Lucy Jane Miller, Ph.D., OTR, Clinical Director, Sensory Therapies And Research (STAR) Center and Research Directory, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation, US. Matthew S. Goodwin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, US. Jillian C. Sullivan, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation, US. Vitamin B6. Jon B. Pangborn, Ph.D., Former Consultant to the Autism Research Institute and Co-Founder of “Defeat Autism Now”, US. Introduction to Chapter 7. Stephen M. Edelson. 7. The Theory: Integration and Support. A. The Inheritance of Intelligence and its Biological Substrate. B. The Paradoxes of Intelligence. C. The Hypothesis of Oxygen Intolerance and the Cerebral Vasculature. Introduction to Chapter 8. James B. Adams, Ph.D., Director, Autism/Asperger's Research Program, Arizona State University, US. 8. Ideas for Research. A. Diagnosis. B. Etiology. C. Therapy and Training. D. Broader Implications of Research on Autism. The Fetal Steroid Theory of Autism. Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., Autism Research Centre (ARC), Cambridge University, UK. Bonnie Auyeung, Ph.D., Autism Research Centre (ARC), Cambridge University, UK. Michael Lombardo, Ph.D., Autism Research Centre (ARC), Cambridge University, UK. Wisdom and Vision: A Comment on Rimland's Concept of “Training” for Children with Autism. V. Mark Durand, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, US. Relevance to Modern Biomarker of Autism. Richard E. Frye, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Hospital, US. Introduction to Part III. Some Possible Implications for the Theory of Autism for a Theory of Behavior. Introduction to Chapter 9. Stephen M. Edelson. 9. Some Implications of Early Infantile Autism for the Study of Personality. A. Emotion and Parental Personalities. B. Drive and the Parental Personalities. C. Cyclothymia, Schizothymia, and the Parental Personalities. D. The Relationship Between Autism and Schizophrenia: A Hypothesis. Introduction to Chapter 10. Stephen M. Edelson. 10. Further Implications of the Study of Autism. A. The Abilities of Autistic Children. B. Distractability, Concentration, and Intelligence. C. Delayed Mental Audition. D. The Problem of Innateness of the Specific Affective Disturbance. Special Abilities and Savant Syndrome: An update on Dr. Rimlands observations. Darold A. Treffert, M.D., Behavioral Health, Agnesian Health Care, Wisconsin, US. Introduction to Chapter 11. Stephen M. Edelson. 11. Some Implications of Early Infantile Autism for a Theory of Behavior. A. A Hypothesis Concerning Reticular Function. B. Toward a Neuron Entelechy Theory of Cognition. Rimland's Reticular Formation Theory of Autism in the Light of 50 Years of Brain Research. Martha R. Herbert, Ph.D., M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, US. Appendix. Suggested Diagnostic Check List. Appendix. The Invisible Wall. Stephen M. Edelson. Appendix. Environmental Vulnerability and Everday Epigenetics: Empowering Treatment and Recovery. Martha R. Herbert. Appendix. Mark Rimland: An inspiration to us all. Stephen M. Edelson. Afterword. Sidney M. Baker, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Autism Database Project for the Autism Research Institute. Bibliography. Name Index. Subject Index.