Simon Baron-Cohen resume en este nuevo libro el estado actual de los
estudios sobre autismo y síndrome de Asperger. Explica cómo se obtiene un diagnóstico y describe las opciones pedagógicas existentes para mejorar la situación de los afectados por estos trastornos. El autor adopta un enfoque a largo plazo, estudiando a personas desde la más temprana infancia hasta la edad adulta. Nos ofrece asimismo un esquema de su nueva «Teoría de la empatía-sistematización» (ES) con la que intenta explicar todos y cada uno de los rasgos psicológicos del
espectro autista. Este libro está pensado, sobre todo, para las
personas que padecen los síntomas del autismo y sus familias. Pero
puede resultar igualmente útil para médicos clínicos, docentes y otro
tipo de profesionales involucrados en el cuidado y apoyo a quienes
padecen autismo. Es, asimismo, una muy valiosa introducción al tema
para estudiantes de ciencias sociales y biológicas.

In Autisme en Asperger-syndroom – De stand van zaken wordt een mooi overzicht gegeven van wat er algemeen geweten is over autisme en asperger zonder al te veel te dramatiseren en door relatief rekening te houden met de stem van volwassenen met autisme of asperger. Minpunten zijn weliswaar dat het soms wat te theoretisch is en er al wat voorkennis verwacht wordt. Ook de zin van het onderscheid tussen mensen met autisme en asperger is niet altijd even duidelijk in het boek. Voor de rest best wel leesbaar.

Lees meer op De Stand van de zaak - leesverslag op Tistje.com ( )

Summarises the current understanding of autism and Asperger syndrome. The author explains the process of diagnosis, as well as the options for education and intervention for those with these conditions. Taking a lifespan approach, the author considers how the conditions affect very young children through to adulthood. He also outlines his new Empathizing-Systemizing (ES) theory, which aims to explain all of the psychological features of autism-spectrum conditions.

A guide for parents covering all areas of autism.

This is as informative a book in as small a number of pages as I've ever read. Baron-Cohen is Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge. I first heard of him in a Five Books interview. The ARC website has a great database of scientific research into the nature of the autism spectrum. Baron-Cohen also helped produce The Transporters, a video series designed to teach autistic kids to recognize emotions, which my 4 year old son loves.

Cohen is author of a couple psychological theories about autism, but presents all the main theories and shows their overlap and weaknesses. He also presents the neuroscience-- what brain scans, chemical tests, and autopsies are telling us about people in the autism spectrum. Cohen is humble in what he presents, and also humble in his skepticism of the quasi-scientific hypotheses that are out there. That's why the ARC website is so critical, you can see what actual well-designed, random, double-blind tests show as opposed to, say, a parental survey presented by opportunistic "experts" eager to make money or sell their diet plan. There is a deficit in qualified research, but the field is rapidly growing.

Our 4 year old is currently on a waiting list for a potential diagnosis, so my wife and I have been trying to get factual information quickly. This book was VERY helpful ad contains links to further resources. I highly recommend it as a starting point. Five stars out of five. ( )