Hardcover, 544 pages
English language
Published Jan. 5, 2015 by Avery, Penguin RandomHouse.
What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. WIRED reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.
Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path for our society toward a more humane world in which people with learning differences and those who love them have access to the resources they need to live happier, healthier, more …
What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. WIRED reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.
Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path for our society toward a more humane world in which people with learning differences and those who love them have access to the resources they need to live happier, healthier, more secure, and more meaningful lives.
Along the way, he reveals the untold story of Hans Asperger, the father of Asperger’s syndrome, whose “little professors” were targeted by the darkest social-engineering experiment in human history; exposes the covert campaign by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner to suppress knowledge of the autism spectrum for fifty years; and casts light on the growing movement of "neurodiversity" activists seeking respect, support, technological innovation, accommodations in the workplace and in education, and the right to self-determination for those with cognitive differences.
I picked up this book after I was recently diagnosed with both Autism and ADHD in my fifties. I wanted to know more about the history of Autism, and why I am part of the lost generations. Very well written, and engaging, this account of the history of Autism is well worth a read, regardless of if you're trying to understand your own head, that of someone else, or just want to know more.
Thoroughly recommended.
A thorough history of autism that's often grim but enlightening. Much of the book seems to be about (probably) well meaning medical professionals exploiting autistic people for wealth and fame, with a slow but steady improvement that seems to come to fruition during the 80s.
It isn't a self help or text book and while it paints a rich picture of the diversity of the autism spectrum, it doesn't attempt to describe the condition or its neurological nature in any detail.
Definitely worth a read of you're interested in the condition, but it can be a bit of a slog. I switched to the audiobook towards the end which was much easier to get through, but YMMV.
The 17th book I've read this year. It was a very long one :D
https://blog.arkadi.one/neurotribes-the-legacy-of-autism-and-how-to-think-smarter-about-people-who
Eh, this book was very hit or miss. I would have liked more long term case studies, more scientific studies and research data. I would have liked less background on the scientists themselves. Less conjecture about famous people who might or might not been autistic.
The author also made it seem like most autistics were savants and sadly I don't think that is true. The author also spent most of the time talking about people with Asperger syndrome, or the so called high functioning autistics. There just did not seem to be enough real science behind some of the material. There were not enough real stories from real families and their struggles and triumphs. There were not enough stories about autistic adults who were NOT high functioning. What happens to these people? Do they become wards of the state when parents die? Too many unanswered questions.
Could have been much …
Eh, this book was very hit or miss. I would have liked more long term case studies, more scientific studies and research data. I would have liked less background on the scientists themselves. Less conjecture about famous people who might or might not been autistic.
The author also made it seem like most autistics were savants and sadly I don't think that is true. The author also spent most of the time talking about people with Asperger syndrome, or the so called high functioning autistics. There just did not seem to be enough real science behind some of the material. There were not enough real stories from real families and their struggles and triumphs. There were not enough stories about autistic adults who were NOT high functioning. What happens to these people? Do they become wards of the state when parents die? Too many unanswered questions.
Could have been much better IMO.
There's a lot to explore in the field of autism, and Silberman did a yeoman's effort for a complete layperson. There are so many misconceptions -- such as the idea that "autism" is a single diagnostic entity, or that there is some explosion in people with autism, or that vaccines (or GMOs or gluten or the pseudoscience du jour) causes autism. So the idea that there could be a book to systematically explore autism and related topics was deeply appealing. However, this is not that book. Silberman's work is so uneven that it's hard to even analyze as a single volume. There are very intently focused parts (mostly, the history of Asperger, and the way in which he isn't a Nazi) and very shallowly explored parts. The use of illustrative individual case histories is helpful, but with such a shallow lens, people blend together.
Some key topics that Silberman touches …
There's a lot to explore in the field of autism, and Silberman did a yeoman's effort for a complete layperson. There are so many misconceptions -- such as the idea that "autism" is a single diagnostic entity, or that there is some explosion in people with autism, or that vaccines (or GMOs or gluten or the pseudoscience du jour) causes autism. So the idea that there could be a book to systematically explore autism and related topics was deeply appealing. However, this is not that book. Silberman's work is so uneven that it's hard to even analyze as a single volume. There are very intently focused parts (mostly, the history of Asperger, and the way in which he isn't a Nazi) and very shallowly explored parts. The use of illustrative individual case histories is helpful, but with such a shallow lens, people blend together.
Some key topics that Silberman touches on will be very interesting to people who have not been previously exposed to the issues: the fact that the autism spectrum is and has always been a spectrum; the intrinsic nature of autism to the personality of autists and the embracing of autism by many adult autists; the idea that "autism" is not necessarily a disorder, but that in many cases is a personality style that could be embraced and that the increased incidence of autism is almost completely accounted for by changing diagnostic criteria. Most of these topics have been widely explored elsewhere, and perhaps the most interesting: neurodiversity, is giving only glancing treatment by Silberman. Overall, the history portions were interesting and well done, and the rest would have benefited from more exposure to the topic.
Fascinating, well-written book.
