Synopses & Reviews
Move beyond conventional thinking about autism. . . .
After years of treating patients and analyzing scientific data, prominent Harvard researcher and clinician Dr. Martha Herbert offers a revolutionary new view of autism and a transformative strategy for dealing with it. Autism is not a hardwired impairment programmed into a child’s genes and destined to remain fixed forever, as we’re often told. Instead, it is the result of a cascade of events, many seemingly minor: perhaps a genetic mutation, some toxic exposures, a stressful birth, a vitamin deficiency, and a series of infections. And while other doctors may dismiss your child’s physical symptoms—the diarrhea, anxiety, sensory overload, sleeplessness, immune challenges, and seizures—as coincidental or irrelevant, Dr. Herbert sees them as vital clues to what the underlying problems are, and how to help. In The Autism Revolution, she teaches you how to approach autism as a collection of problems that can be overcome—and talents that can be developed. Each success you achieve gives your child more room to become healthy and to thrive.
Drawing from the newest research, technologies, and insights, as well as inspiring case studies of both children and adults, Dr. Herbert guides you toward restoring health and resiliency in your loved one with autism. Her specific recommendations aim to provide optimal nutrition, reduce toxic exposures, shore up the immune system, reduce stress, and open the door to learning and creativity—all by understanding and truly meeting your child’s needs. As thousands of families who have cobbled together these solutions themselves already know, this program can have dramatic benefits—for your child with autism, and for you, your whole family, and your next baby as well.
A paradigm-changing book that offers hope and healing for the millions of families who have autism in their lives, The Autism Revolution shows that there’s plenty you can do every day to give someone you love the best possible gift: a life lived to the fullest potential.
Review
"[Grandinand#8217;s] most insightful work to dateand#8230;
The Autistic Brain is something anyone could benefit from reading, and I recommend it to anyone with a personal or professional connection to autism or neurological difference."and#8212;John Elder Robison, author of
Look Me in the Eye and#160;
"In The Autistic Brain,and#160;Grandin explains what she's learned in recent years about her brain and the brains of others with autism."and#160;-- USA Today and#160; "Grandin has reached a stunning level of sophistication about herself and the science of autism. Her observations will assist not only fellow autistics and families with affected members, but also researchers and physicians seeking to better understand the condition." and#8212; Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books and#160; "Her visual circuitry extends well beyond where neurotypicalsand#8217; circuitry stops. Grandin is wired for long-term visual memory. She is sure that one day, autism will be explained by neurobiology. Her new book, The Autistic Brain, outlines that quest." -- Los Angeles Times
and#160;
"Grandin has helped us understand autism not just as a phenomenon, but as a different but coherent mode of existence that otherwise confounds usand#8230;She excels at finding concrete examples that reveal the perceptual and social limitations of autistic and "neurotypical" people alike." and#8212; The New York Times and#160; "Autism is a spectrum, and Temple is on one edge. Living on this edge has allowed her to be an extraordinary source of inspiration for autistic children, their parentsand#8212;and all people." and#8212;Time and#160; "The Autistic Brain can both enlighten readers with little exposure to autism and offer hope and compassion to those who live with the condition." and#8212;Scientific American and#160; "The right brain has created the right book for right now." and#8212; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and#160; "An iconic example of someone who puts her strengths, and even her limitations, to good use." and#8212; KQED, San Francisco and#160; "Temple Grandin has yet again been of enormous service to the millions of autistic individuals worldwide, to anyone labeled with a disability, and to the rest of us curious about the brain and the intricacies of human experience." and#8212; New York Journal of Books and#160; "The Autistic Brain is an engaging look at life within the spectrum. Itand#8217;s also an honest one." and#8212; HealthCare Book Reviews and#12288; "A tremendous gift, not just to patients and their families, but also to teachers, mentors, friends, and everyone who is interested in understanding how our brains make us who we areand#8230;This is a book everyone should read." and#8212; Dr. Ginger Campbell, Brain Science Podcast and#160; "Highly recommended for anyone who knows or works with people on the spectrum." and#8212; Library Journal (Starred Review) and#160; "Grandinand#8217;s particular skill is her remarkable ability to make sense of autisticsand#8217; experiences, enabling readers to see and#8216;the world through an autistic personand#8217;s jumble of neuron misfires,and#8217; and she offers hope that one day, autism will be considered not according to some diagnostic manual, but to the individual." and#8212; Publishers Weekly and#160; "An important and ultimately optimistic work." and#8212;Booklist and#160; "An illuminating look at how neuroscience opens a window into the mind." and#8212;Kirkus
Synopsis
A cutting-edge account of the latest science of autism, from the best-selling author and advocate
Synopsis
A cutting-edge account of the latest science of autism, from the best-selling author and advocate
When Temple Grandin was born in 1947, autism had only just been named. Today it is more prevalent than ever, with one in 88 children diagnosed on the spectrum. And our thinking about it has undergone a transformation in her lifetime: Autism studies have moved from the realm of psychology to neurology and genetics, and there is far more hope today than ever before thanks to groundbreaking new research into causes andand#160;treatments. Now Temple Grandin reports from the forefront of autism science, bringing her singular perspective to a thrilling journey into the heart of the autism revolution.
Weaving her own experience with remarkable new discoveries, Grandin introduces the neuroimaging advances and genetic research that link brain science to behavior, even sharing her own brain scan to show us which anomalies might explain common symptoms. We meet the scientists and self-advocates who are exploring innovative theories of what causes autism and how we can diagnose and best treat it. Grandin also highlights long-ignored sensory problems and the transformative effects we can have by treating autism symptom by symptom, rather than with an umbrella diagnosis. Most exciting, she argues that raising and educating kids on the spectrum isnand#8217;t just a matter of focusing on their weaknesses; in the science that reveals their long-overlooked strengths she shows us new ways to foster their unique contributions.
From the and#8220;aspiesand#8221; in Silicon Valley to the five-year-old without language, Grandin understands the true meaning of the word spectrum. The Autistic Brain is essential reading from the most respected and beloved voices in the field.
About the Author
Martha Herbert, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is the director of the TRANSCEND Research Program. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Autism Speaks.
Karen Weintraub, MA, is an award-winning journalist and freelance health writer for outlets like The Boston Globe, USA Today, and the BBC. A past recipient of a prestigious Knight Center for Science Journalism fellowship, she also teaches journalism at the Harvard Extension School and Boston University.
Table of Contents
and#160;and#160; Prologueand#8195;iiThe Autistic Brain
and#160;and#160; 1. The Meanings of Autismand#8195;3
and#160;and#160; 2. Lighting Up the Autistic Brainand#8195;21
and#160;and#160; 3. Sequencing the Autistic Brainand#8195;50
and#160;and#160; 4. Hiding and Seekingand#8195;69
Rethinking the Autistic Brain
and#160;and#160; 5. Failing on the Spectrumand#8195;101
and#160;and#160; 6. Knowing Your Own Strengthsand#8195;117
and#160;and#160; 7. Rethinking in Picturesand#8195;134
and#160;and#160; 8. From the Margins to the Mainstreamand#8195;171
and#160;and#160; Appendixand#8195;07
and#160;and#160; Notesand#8195;17
and#160;and#160; Acknowledgmentsand#8195;29
and#160;and#160; Indexand#8195;31