Mary Coleman - Böcker

This book is a comprehensive overview of neurological research on autism. It address such questions as: Is autism a single disorder or a syndrome of multiple diseases? How are autism and Asperger syndrome related? Is autism increasing in prevalence, or is it just that we diagnose it more often? There is an in-depth discussion of the neurological signs and symptoms that can be found in children with autism and Asperger syndrome; these include abnormal cranial circumference, epilepsy, changes of muscle tone, stereotypes and mutism. The Appendix includes a form specifically designed for the neurological examination of patients with autism and Asperger syndrome. The book goes to discuss treatments and their relative success rates, including alternative therapies.

"This book includes up-to-date genetic evidence, underlining the complexities of genetic/environmental influences...I recommend this easy and informative read." European Journal of Pediatric Neurology "...authoritative." -The Lancet Neurology "Coleman's new book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the progress made in understanding the causes of autism. The field owes her a tribute worthy of someone who has transformed an area of neuroscience." -Simon Baron-Cohen in Nature Neuroscience "Informative and comprehensive in its treatment of the neurologic basis of autism...well written and easy to understand...the contributing authors have done an excellent job of making complex medical concepts understandable to all. The glossary at the end of the book is extremely helpful in this regard. The book is well referenced, provides helpful tables throughout, and includes a summary of relevant points at the end of each chapter.The authors are to be commended for presenting a very balanced view of current knowledge; they also indicate what we do not yet understand about brain functioning in autism and provide an important road map for ongoing exploration." -Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp in The New England Journal of Medicine "At last it is recognised that developmental neurology is the appropriate context in which to explain autism. The authors of this volume, all pioneers in the field, consider new ideas on autism in this context. They succeed in making surprising and illuminating comparisons between autism and neurological disorders whose origin is already known. This work is a significant step towards understanding the causes of autistic disorders."-Uta Frith, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University College London "When and if the secret of autism is teased from the myriad disease states that exhibit the syndrome, it will be through efforts such as are represented in this volume. Dr. Coleman has 'picked the brains' of recognized experts from neurology and related sciences, and has assembled a wealth of up-to-date and meticulously referenced information regarding both those diseases and the core symptoms of autism." -Peter B. Rosenberger, Massachusetts General Hospital

The Autisms, written by Mary Coleman and Christopher Gillberg, demonstrates that autism, like mental retardation, is a clinical presentation of numerous different diseases, many with genomic underpinnings. In this ground-breaking work, the authors explain in great detail how to clinically diagnose infants, children, adolescents and adults with autistic behavioral features and their psychiatric and neurological work-ups.This new edition contains several chapters on the associated problems of autism, such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, tics, eating disorders and sleep problems, as well as a chapter on epidemiology that documents the historical increase in autism diagnoses. Several chapters summarize the latest data on neuroanatomy, biochemistry and neuropsychology, while three neurogenomics chapters show evidence suggesting that autism occurs due to genetic errors which cause interruption or misdirection of critical neurodevelopmental circuits in the fetal brain. Completely up-to-date, The Autisms is relevant and necessary reading for researchers and clinicians in neuroscience, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and psychology.

Autism is not a single disease but a syndrome of different diseases. In this completely reworked and updated third edition, two world authorities, Christopher Gillberg and Mary Coleman, address the difficulties this presents for clinical diagnosis with diagnostic aids and clear guidelines for medical evaluation. Epidemiology, neuropsychological studies and behavior complexes, such as self-injury, are reviewed in detail, and the authors give a detailed explanation of what is known about the molecular biology and genetics of autism. Epilepsy and electrophysiological studies are also covered, as well as biochemistry, endocrinology, immunology, brain imaging and neuropathology. The available medical therapies are reviewed, along with an update on what is known about other interventions, such as psychoeducational and behavioral modification procedures. The book concludes with an integration of current knowledge from diverse fields. This is an essential text for clinicians and will also be of interest to parents of autistic children.