Autism and, more generally, disorders of the autism spectrum are a type of high-complexity, neurobiological disorder. Relatively widespread, in that they afflict one out of every 150 individuals, these disorders are more common among children than tumours, diabetes and AIDS put together. In recent years, this disorder has received increasingly more attention and led to a variety of potential treatments, which are not always effective and scientifically valid. This book addresses autism in all its facets and supplies tools for both early diagnosis and science-based treatment. It is therefore a valuable guide for professional interventions, which can be used by developmental psychologists, clinical psychologists, childhood psychotherapists, but also educators, parents, and teachers.

Stefano Vicari heads the Childhood Neuropsychiatry Division of the Bambino Ges Pediatric Hospital in Rome and teaches Childhood Neuropsychiatry at the Sapienza University in Rome.

Giovanni Valeri is a childhood neuropsychiatrist and works in the Neuroscience and Neuro-rehabilitation Department of the Bambino Ges Pediatric Hospital in Rome.

Leonardo Fava holds a doctorate in Cognitive and Behavioural Science, is a psychotherapist and is responsible for managing contacts with families in an autism treatment centre.