Customer Reviews

The Neurology of Autism

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If you are the parent of a child with autism and don't feel that you understand what caused this problem, then this book is a well written explanation for you. It also addresses the various types of therapy that are recommended for children with autism and attempts to apply scientific method to those treatments. I think this allows the parent to make an informed decision rather than to rely on anecdotal information from other parents or therapists. The only negative is that there is not much of a focus on what CAN be done so it can be a little disheartening-but it does explain things on a much higher level than you'll get elsewhere. I should note that I am a physician and felt comfortable reading this book but some of the genentics might be difficult for some people to follow. There is a glossary at the end of the book to help with terminology. I would also note that there were two nice articles in Scientific American's Feb '09 issue that relate to autism. The first is "Sculpting the Brain" which explains what happens during the development of the brain and "Childhood Recovered" which details that treatments for such conditions as "lazy eye" show how the brain can be "re-wired" to treat that and other conditions such as autism.

I have a 3 year old son with autism (PDD-NOS). I'm so impressed with this book. I've been told by many a doctor how autism is not treatable. So as his Mom I've been on a quest to help him to recover. I've read many books since his diagnosis a year ago. This book has great information about treating autism, naturally. The chapters are well written and there's plenty of resources listed with addresses and websites. It's a keeper.

Being one of those rare humans who was diagnosed as being autistic in childhood, had seizures and seemed to "outgrow" everything but a tendency toward introversion, love of solitude, animals and music, I must say that this book is refreshingly honest. It does not skirt the issues of autistic humans who are "coddled" and whose screams and tantrums get them pretty much anything and everything they want, while allowing them to rule the roost in all aspects, be it whether people are laughing and enjoying themselves or flipping out about something "they don't get".

One of the great differences in me was I am autistic and I was not coddled -- quite the opposite. My seizures were of the grand mal type and this was my response to sensory overload when I was unable to "escape". I was not put into a special school, although I was mute for five years. My IQ just gets me into Mensa, so when testing was done on the assumption that I was retarded? Oh well. Best look elsewhere for answers. I grew up in a home that was violent and dysfunctional. If I threw a tantrum, there was a (typical drunk) adult who would happily throw me down a flight of stairs and pull me back up that flight of stairs by my hair. Why? Because the protections weren't available then as they are today. I never bonded with either of my parents...reasonably typical, I've learned. Having no brothers or sisters, I spent a great deal of time alone, in the woods and in the company of domestic and wild animals. Animals always felt kind and comforting, while humans seemed anything but.

Recently I worked with a young adult woman whose mother is a Mental Health professional. And the young woman patterned herself after the mother. When the mother began to take my presence and work for granted and showed disrespect for me, guess what? That's right...so did the daughter. The daughter threw tantrums and would bellow at me so loudly I feared my eardrums would burst when I would ask her to do a simple task...this after I'd worked quite successfully with her for a few months.

I got no help or support from the mother. Oh, no, her precious daughter was not capable of manipulation or meanness! It had to be MY problem. Her daughter wasn't sophisticated enough to behave in devious ways. Ahem. It got so that every time I worked with this young woman, she would have this crisis or the sniffles or a stomachache. Or she would simply pitch a fit because I laughed at something and she would accuse me of "making fun of her." This fits were usually done in the presence of mom, where they would have maximum effect and get desired results.

She was and is a spoiled and tyrannical young woman who will not succeed until she learns that there is variety in the world and there is laughter in the world and it is not unreasonable to expect chores to be done and work to be completed. The mother accused me of "overloading her kid" when I asked the young woman to bring a pair of socks with her and take apart and pack up her laptop in its carrying case. This young woman had pointed to the laptop and loudly said: THERE IT IS. Well, young woman, I was hired to teach you, not to be your slave. I ask gently: "Do you know remember how to take your laptop apart and put it into it's case?" YES...! Now the young woman is bellowing at me every other minute: "I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS." This person is HFA and I most certainly was not overloading the young woman. Young woman goes and "tattles" to mom, saying I am stressing her out. Mom proceeds to read ME the riot act.

The mother, who asserts her kid can do no wrong, verbally attacks and humiliates me in public and curses me and the local High School, questions MY understanding of autism (been there, done that, still with me and wish it wasn't, "lady"). Mom makes a LOUD scene outside of the room I'm renting...loud enough that everyone around is looking and hearing. And I'm thinking: WOW. You know it was really horrible growing up abused, but I certainly never was spoiled and I quit acting like this "lady's kid" by my mid-teens. My seizures gradually stopped and I've not taken any anti-seizure meds since about the age of 19. THANK YOU for this book, which demonstrates that not only can autistic children be tyrants that will happily tear down the walls and bring misery to everyone around them, but they WILL if they are not in some way shown their behavior will not rule the roost and will not be tolerated as is.

This "lady" once told me her greatest fear was that her daughter would end up in a group home. Guess what? Your coddling and demonstrations of disrespect for others who work with your daughter (that would include the kid's father) are what professionals like yourself refer to as Self-fulfilling Prophecy.

I was fired for systematically and gently attempting to teach this young woman how to work with computer software and peripherals. For every bit of progress I made, mom would come along and disrupt or destroy it. I was not permitted to "speak out" to this young woman in any way. Not even an "oh, come on kiddo, you'll catch on to this easily. Let's try." The young woman would FLIP OUT over my use of the word "kiddo" and go running to mommy. If it wasn't one word, it was another that would set her off. This young woman would GLEEFULLY tell me how weird she thought I was and am, how much she HATED my music and would get into these contests of verbal aggression about "Do you know THIS artist? Do you know THAT artist?" No, young woman, I am not into modern, popular "country" music. I prefer Alt-country. "Oh. I forgot. You like that WEIRD stuff." Fine. Now that I've just run these four errands for you, young woman, what is your next request?

I am not in any way encouraging that people beat or hit their autistic children. I am, however, encouraging that people do not allow their autistic children to run every aspect of their lives. I learned to laugh and enjoy humor. The young woman I worked with denies "understanding humor" but laughs and smiles. Every time she gets obsessed with something, hundreds and thousands of dollars fly out the window. When the obsession passes (which it rapidly does for her), everything is just put to the side.

And so I guess there is also something good to be said about growing up in poverty: I didn't have all the choices, so I found a wonderful obsession: music. I chose my instrument and I still play the same instrument (in the full-sized version) multiple decades later. To summarize: good luck with your "kid", lady! I was doing my job to the extent that you allowed. This book actually backs up my assertion that autistic "rage" can be diverted into some pretty cool and creative energy, if you just quit shoving pills in the "kid's" mouth and throwing money at them every time they start to holler.