Growing numbers of young people, some 10% to 20% of school-age populations, have mental health problems requiring intervention, and current policy initiatives identify evidence-based therapies as the most effective and relevant forms of treatment.
With comprehensive coverage provided by numerous leading experts in the field, this volume covers the broadest range of disorders over the widest pediatric-adolescent age range, including: Behavioral disorders, ADHD, aggression, bullying. Phobias, panic disorders, school refusal, and anxiety. Autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Depression, mood disorders, and suicidal behavior. Alcohol and drug abuse. Eating disorders and obesity. PTSD.
Autism is a word most of us are familiar with. But do we really know what it means?
Children with autism are challenged by the most essential human behaviors. They have difficulty interacting with other people-often failing to see people as people rather than simply objects in their environment. They cannot easily communicate ideas and feelings, have great trouble imagining what others think or feel, and in some cases spend their lives speechless. They frequently find it hard to make friends or even bond with family members. Their behavior can seem bizarre.
Education is the primary form of treatment for this mysterious condition. This means that we place important responsibilities on schools, teachers and children's parents, as well as the other professionals who work with children with autism. With the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975, we accepted responsibility for educating children who face special challenges like autism. While we have since amassed a substantial body of research, researchers have not adequately communicated with one another, and their findings have not been integrated into a proven curriculum.
From earliest infancy, a typically developing child imitates or mirrors the facial expressions, postures and gestures, and emotional behavior of others. Where does this capacity come from, and what function does it serve? What happens when imitation is impaired? Synthesizing cutting-edge research emerging from a range of disciplines, this important book examines the role of imitation in both autism and typical development. Topics include the neural and evolutionary bases of imitation, its pivotal connections to language development and relationships, and how early imitative deficits in autism might help explain the more overt social and communication problems of older children and adults.
Just a few weeks old, Dasha the cat found herself in a family with an autistic child. The publication of Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behaviour" turned the household into a research laboratory, with the humans observing Dasha's behaviours and the cat experimenting with the 'human guinea pigs'. The feline perspective provides a new outlook on autism conditions, challenging long established stereotypes and analysing controversies in the field with an unbiased attitude and humour.
A MUST READ FOR ALL !!! - stovokor and Mitowka the cat
The study of catatonia in Autism Spectrum Disorders is a novel and controversial topic. Catatonia is a motor disorder characterized by stereotypy, rigidity, mutism, and posturing. These motor signs are also characteristic of autism. The interest in the relation between autism and catatonia stems from clinical observations that autistic and catatonic symptoms overlap, that some people with autism develop full-blown catatonia, and that anti-catatonic treatments bring relief in some of those patients.
