Preface

The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote in his work Politics that "man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human." Thus, typical social development represents a milestone in the life of every individual, regardless of their age.

Social skills and interactions form the foundation of human consciousness and dictate many human thoughts and activities. Social skills emerge gradually during developmental age through a dynamic interaction between an individual and the environment. These skills are critical to an individual's ability to develop and maintain lasting relationships and participate and function within communities.

Multiple decades of study have identified the so-called social brain, which includes the facial fusiform area (FFA), posterior superior temporal sulcus (PST), amygdala, temporoparietal junction (TPJ), anterior medial rostral prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the anterior temporal cortex (ATC), and the inferior frontal gyrus. Studies based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) show differences in the development of activity patterns in some of these regions, and more recently in synaptic functioning. Furthermore, MRI allows us to detect the continuous structural development of some brain regions during the developmental age.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication along with repetitive stereotypic behaviors. Currently, there are no specific biomarkers for diagnostic screening or treatments available for autistic patients. ASD represents an increasingly important health emergency throughout the life span, but its onset in early childhood seriously alters the developmental trajectory. In the last two decades, the level of knowledge and social acceptance of this neurodevelopmental disorder has certainly changed positively. Unfortunately, there is still much to be elucidated about ASD, particularly its diagnosis and treatment. As such, a book like this is needed to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of this complex and challenging disorder.

This book presents different and innovative conceptual perspectives of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for ASD, ranging from mathematical models to therapeutic strategies.

The emergence of social neuroscience is providing a framework for exploring the neural foundation of social skills. Although this area has attracted increased interest in recent years, to date little attention has been paid to: (1) substantiating these findings in children and adolescents, whose nervous systems are still rapidly developing, (2) using development-based principles, which could provide insight into typical and atypical maturation patterns, and the environmental factors that could influence them, and (3) determining the potential clinical and therapeutic management. We believe that the emergence of multidimensional theoretical paradigms is essential to

acquire a more complete understanding of the function of social factors in the context of child development, especially in order to contribute to clinical diagnosis and therapeutic assistance.

This book addresses current gaps in this field by providing the reader with diverse perspectives and different but complementary models, encouraging communication between relevant disciplines, and focusing on development. Our rationale is that in order to gain a full understanding of ASD resulting from developmental or acquired neurological disorders, it is imperative to draw on (1) a coherent theoretical framework, supported by a knowledge base, (2) knowledge of normal CNS development and social development in infancy and adolescence, and (3) appropriate therapeutic tools, by integrating child-directed assessments. In this way, it will be possible to implement models of diagnosis and intervention based on the level of functional development of the CNS.
