Focusing on the education of the autistic child as an awakening process, the book discusses the role of meaningful human communication and reports a research program which applied a therapeutic educational technique. The development of language in children, the diagnosis of an autistic child, autistic behavior and sensory and emotional deprivation, and etiological considerations in sensory deprivation and early infantile autism are discussed. Treatment techniques are described and involve the following considerations: developmental arrest, family role in maintaining a climate of high affective arousal, the clinical setting, the role of the therapist, and the operant conditioning approach. Case studies of five autistic children are reported from the beginning of treatment to school placement and/or followup; also reported are family relationships and changes, testing of autistic children, and implications of results for other childhood deviations. An appendix lists statistical data for the five children on the Vineland and Fels Behavior Scales. (RJ)