A new book edited and co-authored by Eastern Kentucky University occupational therapy professor Dr. Ruth Huebner sheds new light on how autistic persons perceive and are affected by sensations such as touch, movement, noise, smells and lights.

"Autism: A Sensorimotor Approach to Management," published recently by Aspen Publishers, integrates literature from several academic disciplines with the knowledge and expertise of professionals, parents and people with autism.

"There's much debate in the field about whether or not there are any sensory concerns related to autism," Huebner said. "This book is a beginning, the first of its kind to examine the research from many fields and apply it to understanding the sensorimotor dysfunction of autism."

About 1 in 500 individuals in the United States have some form of autism, ranking it as the third most common developmental disability -- more common than Down Syndrome, for example. It typically appears during the first three years of life as the result of a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain. The disorder makes it difficult to communicate with others and relate to the outside world. Persons with autism may exhibit repeated body movements, unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, and resist any changes in routines.

"(The book) may generate more questions than answers and more challenges than acclaims," she writes in her preface, "but any dialogue or debate that results from this book may spur related theories, terminology and management approaches. People with autism and their families may be the ones who ultimately benefit."

The book emphasizes the need to consider the sensory and motor differences in autistic persons as part of a comprehensive management plan that includes communication, social, cognitive and behavioral strategies.

"Many books have been written about the behavioral or educational aspects of managing autism," Huebner said. "This book complements those."

As both an occupational therapist and psychologist, Huebner said her interdisciplinary focus is tempered by her experiences with families and people with autism.

"There's a growing understanding that no single discipline can work in managing autism," she said. "For years, researchers worked in isolation, and they argued about whose approach was best. I have come to believe that the best approach is integrative. We all have to
work together because of the complex needs and truly wide spectrum of autism."

Huebner said it's easy to understand how the sensory aspects of autism have been undervalued.

"As children, we 'play' with visual loss in the dark, with blindfolds, or walking with our eyes closed," she said. "But it is very difficult to imagine sensory abnormalities such as defensiveness to touch, fear of movement, a desire to smell objects, or hypersensitive hearing. It is easier to observe and imagine difficulties in language expression than to imagine an existence where sensory processing results in a fragmented or troublesome perception of the world. Sensory perception is taken for granted; it is just there."

Huebner said she hopes her book causes people to question if some sensory experience of a child is hindering his or her performance or behavior and if change in environment will result in changed behavior.

Huebner's book includes contributions from 21 researchers and professionals, and two chapters authored by Rita Brockmeyer, a mother of a child with autism. Contributors from EKU are Jean Kalscheur, Elaine Leone and Colleen Schneck from the Department of Occupational Therapy, Dr. Myra Beth Bundy from the Department of Psychology, and Dr. Charlotte Hubbard from the Communication Disorders Program.

Three contributors work at the University of Louisville's Child Evaluation Center: Rose Geis, Dr. Lonnie Sears and Scott Tomchek. Others are Grace Baranek and Debra Reinhartsen, University of North Carolina Center for Development and Learning; Connie Donaldson, Jessamine County Schools; Leah Dunn, a Winchester occupational therapist; Dr. Winnie Dunn, University of Kansas Medical Center; Dr. Gary Kraemer, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Shelly J. Lane, Virginia Commonwealth University; Penelope McMullen, a co-director of a tutor team in New Mexico; Dr. Sandra Rogers, The Ohio State University; Dr. Lisa Ruble, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Kay Rydeen, United States Army Health Clinic; Kim Sturmfels, a Lexington occupational therapist; and Suzanne Wannamaker, Guilford County (N.C.) Schools.

Huebner, whose first experience working with children with autism was in 1968, joined the EKU Occupational Therapy faculty in 1995. She is a widely published writer on autism, with articles appearing in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, AOTA Developmental Disabilities Quarterly, Journal of Psychology, Journal of Rehabilitation Outcomes Measurement, and many others. She now lives in Crescent Springs, Ky.

Huebner, Hubbard and Bundy help direct the Autism and Related Disorders Group, which sponsors several events annually to broaden understanding about autism, serves as a resource for intervention opportunities, and supports parents, grandparents and siblings of persons with autism. For more information about the group, call Brockmeyer at 859-623-6074 or visit www.psychology.eku.edu/Autism.

Contact: Dr. Huebner at 859-622-6326.