Things are not what they seem;

Or to be more accurate,

They are not only what they seem,

But very much else besides. - -Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)

Aldous Huxley must be looking at my in-mail box from his perch in the great beyond, and at yours as well (Huxley, 1945). Almost every day brings a deluge of invitations to read about autism, to attend a half-day conference, a full-day conference, or spend a week in the mountains or at the seashore absorbing what to do, or not do, as the case may be, with my colleagues, the speakers and, perchance, the parents and their offspring. My local newspaper or e-mail, as well as more erudite sources, provide me with the current breaking studies of some aspect or treatment.

For example, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) headlines the story as "Controversial Study Reignites Debate Over Autism and Childhood Vaccines" (Parker-Pope T, September 7, 2004). The WSJ invites readers to reach the author at a journal link at WSJ.com/Personal Journal for a discussion with the health journal columnist for the most recent news on autism.

The number of children diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders appears to be increasing at a rapid rate throughout the country.

As the Foreword indicates, the reader is about to encounter a number of issues in the treatment of children and adolescents who have been identified as having Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. The emphasis is on the social and emotional challenges they face, and the challenges that SLPs (and others who support these children, e.g., parents, siblings, and other family members, and special education personnel and classmates).

In response, issue editor Rubin and her authors have presented information that addresses not only the "why" but the "how" of dealing with such concerns. The authors lay out a plan for use by professionals without invading the reader's commitment to a specific theoretical position. Rather, the focus is on individualization of the children's learning objectives on the basis of their observed learning styles and a suggested curriculum-based assessment with particular emphasis on both emotional and social regulations. In addition, the current research reports included in Outcome Guidelines and Heterogeneity chapters may serve as precursors in part to evidence-based practice procedures. As Rubin notes early on, social and communication skills are at the heart of educational approaches. Rubin and her authors not only provide specific examples but helpful tables that encapsulate the essence of the narratives. The references include sources that throw light on a variety of approaches from not only communication sciences and disorders but from allied disciplines that may catch your interest and provide an expanded view of assessment and intervention in school-based settings.

We began with a comment from Huxley in the 1960s and close with a comment from Plotinus who suggested something very similar in AD 200 or so:

All things are filled full of signs, and it is a wise man who can learn about one thing from another.

-Plotinus (205-270; The Six Enneads,

Book II, treatise iii, Sec 7)*

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