NEURODIVERSITY - AUTISM: NeuroTribes; The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman
NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
By Steve Silberman
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, Silberman offers a gripping narrative of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, the research pioneers who defined the scope of autism in profoundly different ways; he then goes on to explore the game-changing concept of neurodiversity. NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world.
Symptoms of Autism in Infants and Children
Some children show signs of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy. Signs usually are seen by age 2 years.
Social Communication and Interaction
- Communication issues like:
- a chile not responding to his or her own name
- delayed speech
- hard to communicate with and may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech
- repeats words or phrases verbatim
- Prefers playing alone
- Reduced eye contact and lacks facial expression
- Does not express emotions
- Does not point at or bring objects to share interest
- Inappropriately approaches a social interaction by being passive, aggressive or disruptive
- Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as interpreting other people's facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice
Patterns of Behaviour
- Performs repetitive movements
- Performs activities that could cause harm
- Develop specific routines or rituals
- Has odd movement patterns or coordination problems
- Fascination for details like spinning wheels of a toy car
- Sensitive to light, sound or touch
- Does not engage in make-believe play
- Abnormal focus on object or activity
- Specific food preferences such as _eating only a few foods, or refusing foods with a certain texture_
Main Signs of Autism in Adults
- Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
- Getting very anxious about social situations
- Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
- Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
- Finding it hard to say how you feel
- Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like "break a leg"
- Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928)
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/adults/#:~:text=finding%20it%20hard%20to%20understand,in%20others%20without%20meaning%20to
Host rating for 'NeuroTribes'
Nico
Rating: 5/10
Sam
Rating: 4/10
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