Loners: The Life Path of Unusual Children [Paperback]

Sula Wolff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415066654 | ISBN-13: 978-0415066655 | Publication Date: November 22, 1995

Some children seem different, detached, disinterested in the games of other children. They prefer their hobbies to friends of their own age and if forced into community activities, as they often are at school, can become aggressive and difficult. In Loners, Sula Wolff describes a childhood personality syndrome that has frequently been neglected. Often using children's own words, their lives and problems become real as she unwraps their stories from first referral to adulthood. Some have become talented and successful adults, whilst others are less fortunate in later years. Carefully documented and meticulously researched, this study makes compelling reading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... closely and carefully argued ... This book is eminently readable and holds the reader's interest.
–Hans Steiner in The Lancet

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (November 22, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415066654
• ISBN-13: 978-0415066655
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #671,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asperger's Disorder and the Schizoid Personality, September 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Loners: The Life Path of Unusual Children (Paperback)

This book is certainly outstanding and it the only book besides _Shadow Syndromes_ which clearly confronts the topic of the relationship between Autism Spectrum Conditions (particularly Asperger's Disorder) and the Schizoid Personality. While some researchers have proclaimed the two to be separate diagnoses (e.g., Tantam), Wolff proceeds to give a detailed account of a group of children who were labeled 'Schizoid Personality of Childhood.' Furthermore, she extensively reviews the psychiatric literature in examining such children previous to Hans Asperger's account of Autistic Personality Disorder of Childhood, overviewing the evolution of the Schizoid Personality diagnosis. Wolff especially stresses the inadequacy of the current Asperger's diagnostic criteria because it often fails to include minimally impaired/gifted 'Schizoids'. Finally, Wolff expresses her conclusion: the majority of her Schizoid children, although many do fit the current DSM-IV/ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for Schizoid Personality Disorder, would be more appropriately accounted for as having mild Asperger's Syndrome with some Schizotypal traits; also, although there was some overlap between High-Functioning Autistic children and the Asperger/Schizoid children, a distinction was made between the two groups.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loners: Schizoid or Autistic?, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Loners: The Life Path of Unusual Children (Hardcover)

Austism, schizoid personality traits, what do they have in common? Are they one in the same, with those who exhibit schizoid personalty traits simply being high functioning individuals with autism? Or are they discrete diagnostic entities, not simply the same condition but only at different ends of the "autistic spectrum"? Sula Wolff provides a rich discussion of people who by many are labelled "asocial," providing anecdotal accounts with children seen in her own practice, as well as a wealth of information from formal studies. This book should be in the library of anyone who has an interest in children who do not seem to fit into society and by those who are interested in the subject of individuals with high functioning autism.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, December 3, 2008

By 

Terina L. Seltzer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loners: The Life Path of Unusual Children (Paperback)

While I wish there were more books out there about less extreme cases of these disorders, it was a very informative and enlightening book. It has definitely changed my outlook of this whole subject. It was sometimes hard to read, but if you can sift for the meat of the issue it is well worth the effort. If you love to read real cases studies, with real facts, and not interpretations based on the author's bias, you will love this author's style.