Autism: Explaining the Enigma (Cognitive Development) - Hardcover

Uta Frith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0631158332 ISBN 13: 9780631158332

Publisher: Blackwell Publishers, 1989

Synopsis

Uta Frith aims to provide a picture of how autistic individuals think and behave. The main research findings on this seriously handicapping developmental disorder are outlined. The answer she proposes, on the basis of a convincing set of experiments, is that autistic individuals lack the ability to draw together information, from what they see and hear, to derive coherent and meaningful ideas. In particular, it is suggested that they lack a "theory of mind". Ordinarily, children and adults are quite adept at using a range of cues to infer what other people are likely to be thinking and feeling; autistic people seem to lack that ability. Autism is a topic of myth and pain, conflict and fantasy. It is a topic of interest to a range of professionals as well as to the families of affected children. This book presents a psychological account of what happens in the autistic mind. The key problem is an inability to integrate pieces of information into coherent wholes, an inability to make sense particularly of the mind's own activities, thoughts, beliefs and feelings. From this beginning, the language, social and emotional problems all follow as the complex intereactions of human development unfold.

About 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.

About the Author

Uta Frith is Professor of Cognitive Development at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College, London. She is the co-author of Autism in History (Blackwell Publishers, 1999).

Edition details

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishers
• Publication date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0631158332
• ISBN 13: 9780631158332
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288