NeuroTribes
The legacy of autism and how to think smarter about people who think differently
The international bestselling history of autism. NeuroTribes up-ends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently.
A New York Times bestseller
Foreword by Oliver Sacks
What is autism: a devastating developmental condition, 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.
Following on from his groundbreaking article 'The Geek Syndrome', 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 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 casting light on the growing movement of 'neurodiversity' and mapping out a path towards a more humane world for people with learning differences.
Author bio:
Steve Silberman is an award-winning investigative reporter and has covered science and cultural affairs for Wired and other national magazines for more than twenty years. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, TIME, Nature and Salon.
Introduction: Beyond the Geek Syndrome
1. The Wizard of Clapham Common
2. The Boy Who Loves Green Straws
3. What Sister Viktorine Knew
4. Fascinating Peculiarities
5. The Invention of Toxic Parenting
6. Princes of the Air
7. Fighting the Monster
8. Nature's Smudged Lines
9. The Rain Man Effect
10. Pandora's Box
11. In Autistic Space
12. Building The Enterprise: Designs for a Neurodiverse World
Epilogue: The Mayor of Kensington
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Watch the author on ABC TV's Lateline
Watch the author's 2015 TED Talk on autism
Read an excerpt
Teachers Reviews
Unlike most of the books I review, this is a professional text that delves into the world of the autistic child, going back to the earliest research trying to offer solutions and suggesting ways in which we can give those on the spectrum access to the resources and support they need so like the rest of us, they have the best opportunity to live their best life. Using the stories of those affected and their families Silberman gives greater insight not just into those with the condition but all those who think and learn differently. Even though we have come a long way, there is still a long road ahead
It is quite an intense book, more for the person who wants to understand autism more thoroughly than those just wanting an overview, but Silberman is driven by his belief that all of us, despite our differences, deserve respect, dignity, access to appropriate education and workplace experiences and self-determination. Nevertheless, because schools are now required to make all reasonable adjustments for such children under the Disability Standards for Education legislation (https://education.gov.au/disability-standards-education), the more we know about the needs of our autistic children the better. It is not enough for the specialist teacher to know – because the goal is integration wherever possible, we all have to have a better understanding.
Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, NSW
