Reviews

• Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently This book has got to be one of the most well researched and balanced explorations of autism I have ever come across. It is written more like a novel so it engages you at every turn of the page, with case study after case study. It explores the history of autism of how it was originally recognised and how it's diagnosis has changed over several decades - so it becomes obvious why far more people are diagnosed with autism now as compared to 30 years ago. It explores the different methods that have been used over the years to "treat" or approach autism as well as exploring the history of changing claims to its causes that range from bad parenting to vaccines and a whole load more. For me as a parent of 2 children on this spectrum, the exploration of a few examples of highly accomplished historic figures that displayed all the characteristics of what would be today diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, such as Henry Cavendish, gave a broader picture of the autistic story, especially when Cavendish lived way before the phrase autism was coined or MMR vaccines were used. There appears to be so many one-sided accounts relating to autism, that have a bias in one direction or another, but this book gives such a balanced overview and account. The exploration of the lives of parents of autistic children and the challenges that they face and the things they tried to deal with them has made me feel far less lost in my daily routines with my kids. I don't feel I need to blame vaccines or bad parenting. I feel far more awakened to the possibilities and the breadth of wonderfulness my children possess and feel armed with various levels of insight into ways in which I can support them in developing their natural talents and celebrating their differences. I am very thankful to Steve Silberman for putting so much research into a book and writing in such an accessible and engaging manner. This book is a must read for anyone interested in autism and even more so for parents or grandparent to kids that appear to be on the autistic spectrum.

• Amazing book

• Books about autism or autistic people that have been written by a non-autistic author are rarely worth being read. This book is one of the very rare exceptions to this rule. Steve Silberman explains well how many misconceptions about autism were established and how some of them have been able to persist across many decades, right into the present. However, the book does not stop there. It also introduces the concept of neurodiversity, which might well be the most important change in how we think about autism that has been introduced in the past decades, and it explains how neurodiversity is connected to and fits into the wider scheme of the disability rights movement. Most importantly, this book amplifies the voices of autistic people instead of only repeating the narratives established by so-called “autism experts”. While the perspective on the early history is inevitably dominated by citing such “experts”, the book also explores the first developments of self-advocacy and shows how these efforts have rightfully gained more traction over time. In summary, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone, whether they are autistic or allistic.

• A Great read, which will open up realms of understanding we never knew possible, not just with regard to autists but also towards and among all human-folk in all our variant forms; and may it help us all to improve our sensibilities, attitudes & communicational skills in everyday life. Progressive thinkers, get this !

• Um livro que todas as pessoas neurodivergentes ou não deveriam ler! Uma aula de história e um conforto para pais e para pessoas neurodivergentes que derruba mitos e esclarece potencialidades que infelizmente até hoje são subestimadas por pessoas que não conseguem enxergar além do preconceito. Super recomendo.

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