'Our concept of autism, all too often, is one of grossly-disabled, poorly-functioning children - the classical syndrome described by Kanner. This concept needs to be expanded, for there are also children and especially adults who have good language and intellectual skills, who can sometimes, indeed, manage to pass as 'normal', and yet are still fundamentally autistic. This higher form of autism was described nearly fifty years ago by Asperger, but is still not accorded the recognition it deserves. In this very scholarly but also highly-readable volume, Uta Frith not only provides the first-ever translation into English of Asperger's paper, but has brought together a variety of fascinating phenomenological and narrative accounts, of the syndrome and its varied presentations, accounts which are by no means entirely negative, for they show how much adaptation and learning and personal development is possible if there is a sensitive understanding of the precise problems involved. Autism and Asperger Syndrome is an invaluable book, not only for researchers, therapists and clinicians, but for parents and teachers, for everyone concerned with understanding autism, and seeing its clinical and its human dimension too.' Oliver Sacks
'This book is highly commended to a variety of readers, including medical and behavioural scientists, parents, friends and even sufferers from Asperger syndrome. It is clear, succinct and so far unique in its presentation of important findings relating to this impairment. There are many suggestions as to the next steps in empirical investigation, and a wealth of human wisdom pervades the whole.' Nature
"The subject of this delightful book is the most important in child psychiatry and possibly in medicine, because at issue is the essence of our human nature....Buy Frith's book as a treat, read it, and send it to an editor as a reminder that brevity is not always beneficial; it took Asperger sixty pages to make his point, and Kanner thirty-three." The Lancet
"Uta Frith not only provides the first-ever translation into English of Asperger's paper, but has brought together a variety of fascinating phenomenological and narrative accounts of the syndrome and its varied presentations....Autism and Asperger Syndrome is an invaluable book, not only for researchers, therapists and clinicians, but for parents and teachers, for everyone concerned with understanding autism, and seeing its clinical and its human dimension too." Oliver Sacks
"...highly recommended to a variety of readers, including medical and behavioural scientists, parents, friends and even sufferers from Asperger's syndrome. It is clear, succinct and so far unique in its presentation of important findings relating to this impairment." Nature
"The strength of this book is in its rich description of the range of behaviors that characterize autistic spectrum disorders and in the review of the links between social deficits in these disorders and possible underlying cognitive mechanisms....a well written, thoughtful, and interesting text that is well worth reading." Joseph Piven, American Journal of Psychiatry
"I found the text informative and fascinating....Its specificity, clarity, and depth make Autism and Asperger Syndrome the best reference we have found about the syndrome." Whole Earth Review
"This book provides an in-depth analysis on Asperger's, autism and how the two are related." Columbia, MO, Missourian
