Abstract
The question of the specificity of the classic autistic syndrome as first defined by Kanner (1943) is still under discussion. Some workers believe it to be a separate entity while others consider it as part of a wider range of handicaps involving abnormalities of language and social communication. Wing and Gould (1979) used an operational definition to cover autism and autistic-like conditions—that is, absence or impairment of comprehension and use of nonverbal and verbal communication (especially the former), of two-way social interaction, and of imaginative development, with the substitution of repetitive, stereotyped activities in place of flexible pretend play. The present chapter will be concerned with adolescents with these problems, regardless of intelligence level or presence of other handicaps, or of underlying cause, since whether or not autism is eventually proved to be unique and specific, all the syndromes that fit the more general description given above present many similar problems of management. There are differences in behavior and in prognosis between individuals with these handicaps, but these are more clearly related to factors, to be discussed later, other than the presence or absence of all the features of the classic autistic picture. The word “autistic” will be used for convenience, but in this chapter will cover the whole range of related conditions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Argyle, M. (Ed.). Social encounters. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1973.
Baker, B. L., Seltzer, G. B., & Seltzer, M. M. As close as possible: Community residences for retarded adults. Boston: Little, Brown, 1977.
Gould, J. Language impairments in severely retarded children: An epidemiological study. Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 1976, 20, 129–146.
Kanner, L. Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Nervous Child, 1943, 2, 217–250.
King, R. D., Raynes, N. V., & Tizard, J. Patterns of residential care. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971.
Lane, H. The wild boy of Aveyron. London: Allen & Unwin, 1977.
Rutter, M. Autistic children: Infancy to adulthood. Seminars in Psychiatry, 1970, 2, 435450.
Weber, S. Aspects of the language of autistic children: A study in linguistic progmatics. Zurich: W. Schneider, 1980.
Wing, L. Social, behavioural and cognitive characteristics. In Autism: A reappraisal of concepts and treatment ( M. Rutter & E. Schopler, eds.), New York: Plenum Press, 1978.
Wing, L. Autistic children: A guide for parents. London: Constable, 1980.
Wing, L. Asperger’s syndrome: A clinical account. Psychological Medicine, 1981, I I, 115129.
Wing, L., & Gould, J. Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification. Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, 1979, 9, 11–29.
Wolff, S., & Chick, J. Schizoid personality in childhood: A controlled follow-up study. Psychological Medicine, 1980, 10, 85–100.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wing, L. (1983). Social and Interpersonal Needs. In: Schopler, E., Mesibov, G.B. (eds) Autism in Adolescents and Adults. Current Issues in Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9345-1_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9345-1_16
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9347-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9345-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive