Book Review: A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and
Intervention For Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools
L. A. Wilkinson A
Best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica
Kingsley, 2010.
Reviewed by:
Adam W. McCrimmon, University of Calgary,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada DOI: 10.1177/0829573510393154
Brief Introduction
A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for
Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools is a new book providing comprehensive
and detailed information pertaining to school-based assessment and treatment of
Pervasive Developmental Disorders (also commonly referred to as autism spectrum
disorders). Written by Dr. Lee A. Wilkinson, a practicing school psychologist,
professor, and established researcher in the field of autism spectrum
disorders, the book contains seven chapters, each focusing on a specific aspect of working with and supporting
individuals in this population (e.g., screening, assessment, interventions). In line with
its title, the focus of the book is on the implications for practice and the implementation of
best-practice approaches by mental health professionals working in a school setting. It
serves as a resource for parents and mental health professionals who work with
individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome within a school setting (e.g.,
school psychologists, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists,
counseling psychologists, social workers).
Content and Structure
The initial chapter contains an overview and description of
the pervasive developmental disorders, the common presenting symptomatology (the
“autistic triad”), and the prevalence rates of each disorder. This initial description
is thorough and provides the reader with explicit and relevant information on the common
characteristics of each disorder as well as the important clinical and behavioral
differences among them. Many readers will appreciate the detail taken in these
descriptions and will likely be better informed about the specific features of each disorder and
the broader category of pervasive developmental disorders as a whole.
Following from this, the book focuses on autism and Asperger
syndrome specifically, beginning with a systematic description of the best
practices approach to assessment through the processes of initial screening and formal
assessment. Specific measures related to each of these processes are described and
compared, providing the reader with evidence-based information pertaining to the utility of
specific screening and diagnostic measures/tools as well as effective and
efficient diagnostic process. The author then progresses on to a discussion of
best practices in intervention and educational supports, including a
description of the existing evidence base for a variety of commonly used approaches and strategies. The author concludes with a discussion of future
research directions and specific areas in need of targeted investigation.
Critique
The focus of this book is on providing practitioners and
caregivers more in depth information pertaining to autism and Asperger
syndrome. The layout of the book is easy to read as it is written for a varied audience. The coverage
of important and relevant topics is thorough and provides targeted information for
individuals interested in learning more about this class of childhood
disorders. Indeed, the chapters on screening and formal assessment provide information pertaining to specific measures and their utility. Similarly, the chapters on interventions and academic
supports provide a succinct overview of current popular approaches and
strategies. Furthermore, important information is highlighted through diligent
use of text boxes (e.g., best practices processes and procedures within several chapters) that allow the reader to discern key information at a glance. This
approach is best observed in the chapter pertaining to intervention and treatment
in which the author presents information on the current empirical evidence for
a variety of interventions, providing the reader with a quick overview of each
and a summary of the supporting evidence, or lack thereof.
Another strength of the book is its focus on the screening
process prior to formal assessment. The description of a best practices approach to
quick and effective screening of individuals presented in this chapter is
likely to be of particular benefit to educators and school psychologists.
Indeed, if used, the measures and screening processes described in this chapter
could reduce workload and increase the effectiveness of many such professionals
by enabling them to provide the appropriate services (e.g., formal assessment,
behavior management strategies, and/or consultation) efficiently.
A noteworthy feature of the book is its use of two clinical
case studies that are interwoven throughout several chapters. These cases
provide the reader with insight regarding relevant background information,
presenting symptomatology, assessment results and interpretation, and suggested
intervention activities for individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome.
Indeed, these case studies will likely afford greater understanding of the information provided in the book by parents, professionals, and individuals affected
by autism or Asperger syndrome themselves.
A final strength of the book is its inclusion of recent
research and clinical information. As such, much of the reviewed literature is up to date,
providing the reader with appropriate information regarding the current state of
affairs for each disorder. This inclusion of recent empirical evidence is especially important
given the rapid pace of research and findings and the typical delay between
development and publication of volumes such as this one.
Despite the many strengths of the book, two limitations are
noted. First, the majority of information is psychological in nature, and
classroom-based individuals will find little suited for their purposes. For example, the book contains
very detailed and prescriptive information pertaining to psychological screening, formal
assessment, and development of intervention planning. However, there is no information
pertaining to specific “red flags,” behavioral indicators that teachers or other
such school professionals should make note of. As many teachers, particularly those in the
early elementary school years, keenly desire more information on how they can facilitate
the identification of students with a possible pervasive developmental disorder, this book
would seem to be an excellent resource to provide such important information.
Moreover, as school psychologists are increasingly advocating for a larger
consultative role in their work, and less of a role as a designated “tester,”
providing such information that could then be passed along to teachers would
afford greater consultative opportunities for school psychologists and enhance
the working relationship with teachers. However, the lack of this information reinforces teachers’ continued reliance on psychologists or other mental health
professionals to work with children in this population.
Second, the two case studies provide an adequate picture of
higher functioning aspects of individuals with a pervasive developmental
disorder (e.g., “high-functioning autism” or Asperger syndrome) through the screening and
formal assessment processes. However, no contextual examples of those individuals more
typical of the autism population are provided. Specifically, the majority of
individuals with autism demonstrate cognitive challenges and associated
limitations in functioning across a variety of domains. As such, their
behavioral presentation is typically much different that those described in the case studies. As well, only one of these case studies was integrated into the
chapter on interventions, providing limited contextual information for the
reader regarding this essential component to service delivery and support.
Additional case studies may have resulted in a more inclusive and comprehensive
presentation of this broad category of disorders. Thus, although the majority
of the case studies provide enlightening and important information, these two
specifically are more limited in scope and clinical usefulness.
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.
Although the majority of information will be useful from a clinical or
psychological perspective and is representative primarily of the higher
functioning end of the autism spectrum, it is believed that many school-based professionals
will be able to make use of this excellent resource.
Canadian Journal of School Psychology 26(3) 257–259
© 2011 SAGE Publications
