stage in their development. Half of them never show it, and those who are higher functioning don’t begin to show it until they are 4 or 5 years old. “This mirror technique has been adopted by the autism community,” says Dr. Lewis. More Exploration—More Work to Do D r. Lewis published a paper about intersensory integration in 1972. It’s a phenomenon that most people understand by comparing it to a sound track that isn’t in sync with the lip movements in a movie. “That recognition of the lip movement being out of sync with the video track is the concept,” says Dr. Lewis. Babies who are between the ages of 4 and 8 months can recognize not only the sounds of language but also the lip movements that go with them. Recently, Dr. Lewis and his team received a grant to study intersensory integration as a means to identify children at risk for being autistic. Dr. Lewis believes we can answer the important questions about abnormal pathology by looking at normal behavior. “Studying normal development and the mechanisms that apply to clinical issues help us understand abnormal development,” he says. “We must extend what we learn from normal children to help us understand dysfunctional development.” A career of 52 years would be enough for most people. But Dr. Lewis shows no signs of slowing down. “We have developed a practicum course for psychology and social work students from other schools within the Rutgers community, embedding them into pediatric clinics and hospitals,” he says. As Dr. Lewis continues to mentor, teach, write, lecture, research, and develop new programs, his leadership and insight will continue to help children and their families face the future with promise. M Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE 25