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Course Prerequisites:  

Some basic knowledge of neuroanatomy and neuropsychology.
    Course Description:  

This course will review all aspects of  the neuropsychology of autism. We will cover mostly the experimental literature, with some material on clinical topics such as assessment, education, and medication.

    1. Phenomenology: characteristics of disorders on the autistic spectrum, behavioral/social features, early development
    2. History of concepts of autism
    3. Prevalence, gender, course
    4. Comorbidity with other psychiatric and medical conditions and mental retardation, boundary conditions, differential diagnosis
    5. Cognitive features: language, memory, attention, visuo-spatial functions, motor functions, executive functions, social cognition
    6. Genetics
    7. Neuroanatomical, neurochemical, neurophysiological findings
    8. Neuropsychological theories (language, attention, theory of mind, social emotions, arousal, underconnectivity, central coherence)
    9. Clinical issues: early detection, early intervention, assessment, education, prognosis, medication, “alternative” therapies.


Abell F, Krams M, Ashburner J, Passingham R, Friston K, Frackowiak R, Happe F, Frith C, Frith U. (1999). The neuroanatomy of autism: A voxel-based whole brain analysis of structural scans. Neuroreport. 1999 Jun 3;10(8):1647-51. 

Bryson, S., Rogers, S., Fombonne, E. (2003). Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Detection, Intervention, Education, and Psychopharmacological Management.  Canadian J Psychiatry 48: 506–516.

Charman, T. and Baird, G. (2002). Practitioner review: Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in 2- and 3-year-old children. Journal of child Psychology and Psychiatry. 43(3): 289-305. 

Cook, E.H. (1996). Brief report: pathophysiology of autism: neurochemistry. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26(2): 221-5. 

Cook, E.H. (2001). Genetics of autism. Child Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 10(2): 333-350.

Croen, L., Grether, J., Hoogstrate, J., and Selvin, S. (2001). The changing prevalence of autism in California. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(3): 297-215. 

Green-Snyder L, Joy S, Fein D, Robins D, Brooklier S, Waterhouse L (2003). Pervasive Developmental Disorders. In: Textbook of Neuropsychiatry, Second Edition, Schiffer, R., Rao, S, and Fogel, B (eds.) Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, pp 503-551. 

Just, M.A., Cherkassky, V.L., Keller, T.A., & Minshew, N.J. (2004). Cortical activation and synchronization during sentence comprehension in high-functioning autism: evidence of underconnectivity. Brain, 127, 1811-1821.