Foreword

Abstract:

The editors of this volume, Ilona Roth and Payam Rezaie, have assembled a valuable collection of chapters providing an excellent overview of a wide range of areas relevant to autism research. The book tackles the challenge of early detection; the complex biology of autism, including genetics (from linkage, to association, to CNVs), the autistic brain (from the perspectives of MRI, DTI, MEG, neuroanatomy and epilepsy) and molecular aspects of autism (from serotonin to oxytocin); the complex psychology of autism (from cognitive models, language, memory and executive function); and the challenge of education in autism. Autism research is currently enjoying considerable growth, with hundreds of researchers joining in the hunt to understand this important set of conditions. This book showcases some of the best autism scientists in the UK who are contributing to this international effort. The editors are to be congratulated on pulling this collection together, since this will inspire a new generation of autism scientists among contemporary students. The hope is that an anthology of this kind will be produced every few years, so we can track this fast-changing field. This multi-disciplinary book nicely illustrates how autism is a multi-level phenomenon that will need integration across levels. This book exemplifies how each level must be represented and contributes to the bigger picture.