Best Practice Autism Guide: "Gold Standard" Resource

A best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools continues to be a gold standard autism resource for parents and practitioners. Written by Lee A. Wilkinson, PhD, a practicing school psychologist, this authoritative, yet accessible award-winning text provides step-by-step guidance for screening, assessing, and educating children at-risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Grounded in the latest research, special features include illustrative case examples, FAQs, quick reference boxes, glossary, and an index to 50 evidence-based best practice recommendations. It is an essential guide and valuable resource for practitioners in psychology, general and special education, counseling, social work, and for graduate and pre-service students. Parents, advocates, administrators, and attorneys will also find the content informative and helpful. This text is a welcome addition to the reference libraries of all who want to further their understanding of the identification and treatment of school-age children with ASD. Highly readable and comprehensive, this book sets the standard for those working with students with ASD. This book makes also an ideal text or guide for graduate-level training courses in psychology and special education, and has become a widely used resource.

A Best Practice Guide… consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 begins with two case vignettes and a discussion of the challenges facing educators. The reader is then provided with an overview of Asperger syndrome and the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Chapter 2 focuses on the screening and identification of children in need of further assessment. Instruments are reviewed and a multi-step screening process described. Chapter 3 addresses evidence-based assessment practices, including individual instruments and a developmentally-based procedure. In Chapter 4, the case examples are presented to illustrate best practice in the assessment of ASD. Chapter 5 focuses on intervention practices and describes current scientifically-based interventions and treatments for ASD. Chapter 6 provides information on the identification of special educational needs and specialized services. Chapter 7 concludes with a discussion of the current status of the field and future directions for research.

 Praise and Reviews

Autism Spectrum Quarterly calls the book “a landmark contribution destined to become a classic in the field of autism spectrum disorders” and comments, “Dr. Wilkinson has made an enormous contribution to the field by comprehensively and systematically illuminating not only what needs to be done, but also how to go about doing it. The book is exquisitely and meticulously organized, making it an easy-to-access reference guide as well as a comprehensive text book and training manual."

The Canadian Journal of School Psychology remarks, "Overall, this book presents readers with an excellent overview of autism and Asperger syndrome. The author has expertly formatted the book and each chapter so that the reader is provided with an excellent resource of recent and relevant information pertaining to screening, formal assessment, and interventions with individuals in this population. The use of two case studies helps to highlight some of the information presented throughout the book. …many school-based professionals will be able to make use of this excellent resource".

According to the Journal of Autism andDevelopmental Disorders "This book provides a complete source for parents, educators, researchers and clinicians seeking information related to assessment and interventions available for individuals (mostly children) diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The main reason the book stands out is the application of all the discussed concepts in the two case examples of Jeremy and Sally. Dr. Wilkinson presents a detail and person-centered approach to the stages and issues that needs to be addressed while conducting an assessment and planning interventions for individuals diagnosed with ASD. Educators and clinicians can make use of the detailed case examples as those may be applicable to their work environment."

Ally4autism comments, “Dr. Wilkinson has created an outstanding blend of academic research and practical application in a text that is so clearly written it is a pleasure to read for professionals and parents alike. His book concisely illustrates best practices in screening, assessment, treatment and special education services. Through case examples of two children, he demonstrates how these best practices can be put into action. This book fills an important need that has existed for years. Dr. Wilkinson has created an indispensable resource that should definitely be in each school’s professional library.”

A Best Practice Guide... was named the Winner in the Education/Academic category of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and honored as an Award-Winning Finalist in the Education/Academic category of the "Best Books 2010 Awards” sponsored by USA Book News.

A BestPractice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools is available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN: 978-1-84905-811-7 and can be ordered directly from the publisher at http://www.jkp.com/ and all major booksellers, including http://www.amazon.com. The book is available in both print and eBook formats. Dr. Wilkinson is also the editor of a recent volume in the APA School Psychology Book Series, Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Evidence-Based Assessment and Intervention in Schools and author of the new book, Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using CBT.