Michael J. Rutter - Böcker

Treatment of Autistic Children Patricia Howlin and Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London with Michael Berger, Rosemary Hemsley, Lionel Hersov and William Yule The book describes ways of dealing with the problems shown by autistic children in their own homes. The principal therapists were parents themselves who played a major role in designing and carrying out the treatment programmes. Treatment programmes were individually designed for each child and the techniques were derived from both developmental and behavioural psychology. The outcome is described in terms of the progress made by individual children. However, in addition to single case studies, the book is unique in comparing outcome, across a whole range of measures, between treated children and their matched controls. The results of the study are discussed both in terms of their practical relevance and also their theoretical implications for our understanding of the nature of autism. This book will assist professional and academic psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists and teachers of the handicapped in their consideration of the future developments in the treatment of autism. Wiley Series on Studies in Child Psychiatry Series Editor Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London

During the 'Golden Era' of economic growth between 1950 and 1973, mortality and physical illness declined in developed countries, but a number of psychosocial disorders increased. The authors of this volume search out the causes of the increased disorder in young people and target the disorders that rise in frequency in the teenage years: crime, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, anorexia and bulimia, and suicide. The extensive research findings on the mechanisms that lead to each of the disorders are reviewed. In addition, the authors consider a wide range of social and economic changes as possible explanations of trends in the disorders: the changing process of adolescent development, the family, the economy, the labour market, the mass media, and moral concepts and values are all discussed in depth. This international group of researchers bring together, for the first time, under the auspices of the Academia Europaea, data for a range of psychosocial disorders on time trends, on cross-national differences, on risk and protective factors for individuals, and on the developmental processes that link childhood with adult life. The Academia Europaea as a multinational, multidisciplinary organisation support in various areas this kind of study. The authors demonstrate that this inter-disciplinary approach, combining analysis of individual differences and aggregate trends, has great power and potential for future research. Practitioners, academics and policy makers in the fields of mental health, criminal justice, and social policy will find in this volume some surprising conclusions as well as useful guidelines for action, based on authoritative evidence from these unique studies.

Since the time of the Second World War, there has been a marked rise in all sorts of psychosocial problems in young people - these include crime, suicidal behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, depression and eating disorders. The rise has been striking because, during this same time period, the physical health of people and their living conditions have improved in most developed countries. Why have psychosocial disorders in adolescents increased? What, moreover, can be done to prevent these disorders, or at least to reduce their adverse impact? In Psychosocial Disturbances in Young People: Challenges for Prevention, experts provide an overview of important areas in adolescence, ranging from delinquency to depression, and address many key questions. The volume successfully integrates various perspectives, with a concluding chapter framing the issue of psychosocial problems in adolescence.

In this major new book, eminent scientist Professor Sir Michael Rutter gets behind the hype of the behavioral genetics debate to provide a balanced and authoritative overview of the genetic revolution and its implications for understanding human behavior. Written by one of the world's leading figures in child psychology and psychiatry, Professor Sir Michael RutterProvides non-technical explanation of genetics to diffuse the sensational debates surrounding the topicSets out in layman's terms what genes do, how much is nature and how much is nurtureArgues that nature and nurture are not truly separate and gives examples of how the two interactLooks at the implications of genetic findings for policy and practiceThe book will inform public debate about the implications of the Human Genome Project and, more broadly, the field of genetic science

The English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study constituted an invaluable "natural experiment" in which there was a rapid, easily-timed transition from a profoundly depriving environment in Romanian institutions to generally well-functioning adoptive families in England. Multimodal methods of assessment were used throughout the assessments at 4, 6, 11, and 15 years of age. Four key findings were particularly striking. First, institutional deprivation was associated with an apparently deprivation-specific pattern of combinations of quasiautism, disinhibited attachment, cognitive impairment, and inattention/overactivity. Second, longitudinal growth curves showed a relative deceleration of growth between 11 and 15 years (possibly due to early puberty). Third, institutional deprivation without subnutrition was associated with a major impairment in head growth. Fourth, the effects of institutional deprivation were as strong at 15 years as they had been earlier in childhood.