Understanding
the Nature of Autism and Asperger’s Disorder:
Forty Years of Clinical Practice and Pioneering Research.
Edward R. Ritvo. Ridgefield Park,
NJ: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006. Pp. 174. $19.95, paper. ISBN: 1-84310-814-3.
TEL: 866-416-1078 • FAX 215-922-1474
Ritvo is an internationally recognized medical expert, researcher, and pioneer
in the field of autism and Asperger’s disorder and co-author of the
official diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM). Much of what is known about these disorders today is based
on his research and discoveries. In this book he shares his 40 years’
experience and opens his extensive University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA) casebook to the reader.
This book approximates a consultation with Ritvo, an introduction for professionals,
families, spouses, and individuals with autism and Asperger’s Disorder.
He traces the historical development of understanding about autism and Asperger’s
Disorder, from centuries of misdiagnoses and the first recognition of the
characteristics of the disorders to his own methods for making a diagnosis.
Drawing on case histories from 40 years of clinical practice, he explains
their basic nature, what the causes are, what is different in the brain, treatments
that work (and those that don’t), what a child with a diagnosis might
be like when grown up, and what future research may hold.
Ritvo says in the Introduction, “…my point in writing this book
is simply to provide you with an understanding of the basic nature of autism
and Asperger’s Disorder. By ‘basic nature’ I mean their
history, how they affect lives, what is wrong in the brain, what are the causes,
and what treatments we have and what we can expect from them.”
When he began his research, there was little hope for patients diagnosed with
autism. Today, there is reason for optimism. Autism and Asperger’s Disorder
are remittent, which means they naturally improve over time. However, Ritvo
is quick to warn against false and harmful theories about cures.
