Not Even Wrong : Adventures in Autism

Rating:
Summary: Must read for parents or relatives of autistic children
Review: Paul's book is by far the most entertaining and interesting work of the numerous "autism from a parent's perspective" books that I've read. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and laughing out loud as Collins' first hand account of early intervention, his son's fixations and the families frustrated attempts to communicate with the boy. As the father of an autistic 3 year old son, I could certainly relate. Collins' book is much more than another "our story" tale of a family's struggle to help their son. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the book is the vast historical and trivial information Collins adds from his research into past figures who may have been autistic. This book would be an interesting and entertaining read for anyone. For loved ones of an austic child, its a MUST read.

Rating:
Summary: A new frame of reference for autism
Review: We can't say enough about this wonderful book about the author's journey through his son's diagnosis of Autism which leads him into the history behind this multi-faceted condition. As parents of an Autistic child, we've read alot of books on the subject, and are sometimes left with a feeling of hopeless & dread for our future. In addition to teaching us much that we'd not known before about the history behind Autism, this book was unfailingly positive, heart-felt without being sentimental, and surprisingly hilarious! We strongly recommend it for any family dealing with Autism or anyone looking to celebrate that thankfully, there is more than one kind of "normal" in this world.

Rating:
Summary: Finding What's Special About Special Needs
Review: We can't say enough about this wonderful book about the author's journey through his son's diagnosis of Autism which leads him into the history behind this multi-faceted condition. As parents of an Autistic child, we've read alot of books on the subject, and are sometimes left with a feeling of hopeless & dread for our future. In addition to teaching us much that we'd not known before about the history behind Autism, this book was unfailingly positive, heart-felt without being sentimental, and surprisingly hilarious! We strongly recommend it for any family dealing with Autism or anyone looking to celebrate that thankfully, there is more than one kind of "normal" in this world.

Rating:
Summary: Collins's Travels
Review: What's that old pop psych principle?-the one about how everyone tends to use their professional skills to deal with what ever life hands them: Teachers will always try to teach their way through problems and engineers will try to engineer their way through. In Not Even Wrong Paul Collins says, "My living is that of a historian, which means I sequence fragments and extrapolate a world from them. I've done it every day of my life." It's not surprising then that, when his son Morgan's diagnosis with autism changed this young father's world, he got to work. Through travel, research, and direct examination with his sharp mind and tender heart, he extrapolated a new world which incorporates autism into his family, community and sense of history. Along the way, as he relates tales of those historic odd balls and geniuses who share traits with his son, he humanizes them and affirms their contributions to the world we all share. Collins also covers a range of information on autistic neurology, thinking and sensory perception in addition to some history of the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder, all while giving the reader poignant vignettes of Morgan's intriguing intellect, puzzling behavior and first forays into linguistic interpersonal communication. (Pictures! Words!) That sounds horribly dry as I describe it, but somehow this author has made it engrossing.
Among my frustrations (A polite term but this is a review of a polite book.) as the mother of an autistic child is the sense that my family has been isolated. And, frankly, for years the books on autism that I only half-read did little to change my mind. But I enjoyed every page of Not Even Wrong. Collins gets exactly right many common experiences, such as the forced transformation of our social awareness, even if he is reticent about the depth of our fear and grief. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves an autistic person and to anyone who wants to know more about autism.
Parents of autistic children take note of this great tip from page 212: Church steps are a good place to sit down and cry undisturbed. All these years I've been forcing myself to keep walking!