In the preface to this American publication on the topical subject of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the authors state that the book “is designed to provide an overview of ASD for readers interested in learning more about the disorder […]”. It will certainly do that for American readers but will be of less relevance to the British market having been written by two Americans and containing data relating mainly to the US. The authors are a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Washington University and a PhD student at the same university.
This book is part of the extensive Contemporary World Issues series by ABC‐Clio and follows a set pattern in layout. In this volume the order does not allow the text to flow as the chapter on the background to the subject should be followed by the one on the subject's chronology. After these should come the chapters on controversies and worldwide and cultural perspectives, but the reversed order makes it more complex for the lay reader to find her/his way about. This format reduces the effectiveness of the book unless readers just want to dip in and out of the pages.
The texts in this series, which are also in electronic format, are intended to “provide a good starting point for research but high school and college students, scholars and general readers as well as legislators, businesspeople, activists and others”. This answers the reviewer's question as to whom the book is aimed. However, the best starting point for readers knowing nothing or very little about the subject for the British market is Simon Baron‐Cohen's Autism and Asperger Syndromes (Baron‐Cohen, 2008), the author himself an expert in this field.
Chapter 5 entitled Biographical Sketches includes all current and past experts in this field and can be used as a quick reference tool though lack of dates for some current practitioners and academics seems rather unusual in this day and age where the internet can provide such information. The Directory of Organizations listed in chapter 7 would be of limited use in Britain as they are all based in the US and include for example the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC), terminology which is no longer acceptable in the UK. On the other hand, chapter 8 consists of 35 pages of resources containing titles of American and British books, journal articles and videos, which would be of greater use, though levels vary from lay person to senior academic research.
The handbook contains extensive references at the end of most chapters with a mixture of American and British authors, ranging from the international Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders to the more specialist Resiliency in Native American and Immigrant Families.
Readers should note that America has a different classification of diseases and disorders from Britain, which should be taken into account when reading this handbook.
Other books on this vast subject include Rita Jordan's ASD: An Introductory Handbook for Practitioners (Jordan, 1999) and Brenda Smith Myles ASD: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals (Myles, 2007). For further reading UK students or lay readers should consult the catalogues of the British Library or those of their nearest academic library.
Priced at £37.95 for hardback this book is intended to be purchased mainly by academic libraries. In the UK this may result in it becoming a casualty of higher education spending cuts, since more relevant British texts may be prioritised over American works. Because it is available in both print and electronic versions, academic libraries may well be able to afford it as part of the many bundles of electronic books and databases now on offer. Readers should consult the publisher directly for prices of the electronic version.
Although this work has an American bias it would be of use for those British undergraduate students engaged in research projects comparing British and American models and practices in the field of ASD.
