Catatonia, Shutdown and Breakdown in Autism

This book will change your life if you have struggled with difficulties in starting, stopping or controlling actions. Pioneering psychologist Amitta Shah, explores these troublesome features of autism, never documented in such vivid detail before. She tells what they mean, how they can be assessed, and what can be done about them.

This is a wise and compassionate book, informed by clinical experience and a deep commitment to working with autistic individuals affected by catatonia, a perplexing and enigmatic condition. Through case vignettes, the various manifestations of the condition are revealed together with a psycho-ecological approach to management.

Amitta Shah's important book fills a much-needed gap on an aspect of autism that has been neglected and misunderstood for decades. Dr Shah builds on her vast clinical experience of over 30 years to provide a wonderfully clear analysis of these states, including identifying anxiety and stress as potential causal triggers, as well as these states being possible effects of inappropriate medication. Her book will help families, autistic people, and clinicians be alert to such states, and know how to provide effective help and support. This book will be a hugely valuable resource and will reduce the risks of misdiagnosis.

We have been identifying catatonia in adolescents and adults with autism for nearly 20 years, yet this is the first comprehensive book to describe how to evaluate the many expressions of catatonia, and outline an approach to alleviate the debilitating characteristics. Clinicians, families and those who have autism will now have a much clearer idea of what to do.