Child Without Tomorrow discusses the observations and treatments made with seriously emotionally disturbed children. The book relates the development of a specific group therapy program and shows that children can still be taught complex and socially adaptive behavior despite their situations. It is also demonstrated that non-professionals can be trained as operative child-behavior therapists and parents are the best candidate as therapists of their children.
The text defines the term Autism and briefly explains its context. It was suggested that the most useful type of therapy is observed current behavior. Stimulus control, respondent conditioning, and contingency management are important tools of the therapy. A chapter of the book is devoted on control of aggressive and tantrum behavior. Such behaviors were defined and examples were given. To control these behaviors, a process called extinction was exercised. Such process weakens a response through its non-reinforced repetition.
The book will provide useful information to psychologists, therapists, parents with autistic children, students and researcher in the field of psychology.
