NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman | Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review

By IRB Media

This companion to NeuroTribes includes:

• Overview of the book

• Important People

• Key Takeaways

• Analysis of Key Takeaways

• and much more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Oct 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781944195113

IRB Media

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OVERVIEW

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity seeks to unearth what autism is and why it remains a mystery.

Hans Asperger, a researcher and pediatrician working at the University of Vienna, first identified the disorder as occurring in many different forms and severities on a spectrum and saw the link between autism and high intelligence in areas such as music and mathematics. He called his patients little professors. Unfortunately, his discovery came as Hitler’s army invaded Austria. The University of Vienna became a hotbed of eugenics research and a place where mentally ill children were sent to die. Asperger’s research and ideas were largely ignored until after his death in 1980.

At almost exactly the same time, in 1943, Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins, suggested that autism was rare, it occurred only infants, and was severe. Before Bernard Rimland proved that autism was a genetic disorder, parents were blamed for their children’s emotional distress, and autism was treated from a variety of destructive psychoanalytic approaches. In recent years, researchers have returned to the spectral approach that Asperger posited years ago, a recognition of the extraordinary engineering achievements of those on the spectrum, and a movement of neurodiversity activists who see positivity in

Reviews for NeuroTribes

[Strong Decaf · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Started it, but couldn't get past the mistake of calling Dustin Hoffman, "Dennis Hoffman." This indicates poor research and no fact checking.

[marysgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a parent who raised an autistic daughter through much of the later history Silverman describes, I loved this book. The early history of diagnosis and treatment was fascinating. Each time he delved into the background or quoted a leading expert from the field, I felt like I was saying hello to an old friend. Like many desperate parents, I met these people at conferences, read their books, tried some of their techniques, and took hope from the smallest "improvements" in my child's behavior. The earliest history of abuse, neglect, and institutionalization of autistics broke my heart. I was aware, but Silverman brought it home with his graphic descriptions and in depth anecdotes of real people. Having grown up clumsy, socially awkward, and a SF fan, I can only shudder and be grateful my gifts outweighed my deficits in that awful time. My favorite part of the book was the last three chapters where the author delved into the more recent activities of autistic adults as they took (and are still taking) control of the tools available to them to build their own communities and advocate for more services, supports, and tolerance. I came to the conclusion early that my daughter would thrive in a more accepting environment that built on her strengths, rather than focusing on "fixing" her. Autistics all along the spectrum have unique gifts to contribute to society...if we only let them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a relative or friend on the spectrum or is interested in the disability rights movement. Frankly, anyone interested in building a more inclusive society would benefit from the insights in this book. Thank you, Mr. Silberman, for taking on the monumental task of documenting the legacy of autism and executing it with thoroughness and sensitivity. I'm looking forward to a world that values neurodiversity. Note: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reading program in exchange for an honest review.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is strongest as a history of autism/Asperger’s; the title is somewhat misleading in that there’s relatively little about prospects for the future, though knowing the history is surely of interest to those figuring out where we should go with neurodiversity. I should also say that I read this book as someone who’s found the concept of the Asperger’s spectrum incredibly helpful for understanding and taking some of the pressure off of myself: knowing that some of my atypical behaviors are shared has been immensely comforting. (Indeed, I’m almost literally the woman he describes “who reflexively averted her eyes when speaking and calmed herself by knitting while inwardly fancying herself the real-life equivalent of Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who,” once you swap out hobbies/fandoms.)Silberman traces the history of autism research in Germany and its connection with the rise of Nazism: profoundly uncommunicative children were often institutionalized and were early targets of Nazi killings. Thus, Asperger’s emphasis on the high-functioning children he studied was not because, as was later assumed, he thought of Asperger’s as something distinct from more disabling autism, but rather because he was trying to convince his eugenicist colleagues/policymakers that autistic children had something to contribute to the Reich. (E.g.: “Not everything that steps out of the line, and is thus ‘abnormal,’ must necessarily be ‘inferior.’”) Unfortunately, this misunderstanding, combined with academic politics, delayed a lot of understanding that could have come from uniting US and German approaches. In particular, Silberman contends, autism was never as vanishingly rare in “nature” as some claimed in late 20th century, as part of vaccine-related panic; instead, the spectrum was always present and we’ve just gotten better at identifying it, both in high-functioning and low-functioning children. Silberman also argues that early sf fans were often self-sorting autistics with varying levels of ability to interact with norms; the best part of his discussion of early fandom was a quote, “Sam Moskowitz’s 1954 chronicle of the early days of fandom, The Immortal Storm, inspired one critic to quip, ‘If read directly after a history of World War II, it does not seem like an anticlimax.’” In other words, as with autism researchers, every group has its narcissism of small differences. But Silberman contends that the subject matter of sf/f is also fundamentally compatible with autistic tendences: the “subversive impulse” at the heart of sf expresses “cognitive estrangement” from the mainstream. Moreover, pathologized traits like obsessing over trivia or collecting particular items are welcome in fandom. (Silberman barely brushes by the issues of race and gender here.) Thus, “[f]or those who had felt like exiles their whole lives, forced to live among strangers, becoming a fan was like finally coming home.” A.E. Van Vogt’s slan were only a very influential variant of “superintelligent, supersensitive, and profoundly misunderstood mutants struggling to survive in a world not built for them.” Silberman says that a significant number of these first-generation fans ended up in menial jobs, instead of the science and engineering that fascinated them, because of their limited social skills. Silberman’s a bit too sunny, I think, about the “meritocracy” of these early groups focused only on, for example, your ability to build a wireless rig, though it’s not like I think that men on the spectrum were worse than the broader culture. He also identifies a number of software pioneers as being autistic, for example the creator of Lisp, who also wrote LoTR fan fiction that was sympathetic to the orcs.The book draws connections between attempts to “fix” autistic children and attempts to “fix” children perceived as being at risk of growing up gay or lesbian—psychologists in the 1950s through 1970s often thought it was easier to change the child than to change the society so it was accepting of limp wrists and flapping hands. It’s difficult to read about the physical punishment inflicted on children in order to train them; this was controversial even at the time, even when the patients were self-injuring.Although Silberman isn’t as outspoken as some are against Autism Speaks and similar “defeat autism” initiatives, he gives plenty of room to the autistic critics of ads like this one, written to be a ransom note: “We have your son. We will make sure he will not be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives. This is only the beginning.” As he points out: “Just because a computer isn’t running Windows doesn’t mean that it’s broken…. By autistic standards, the ‘normal’ brain is easily distractible, is obsessively social, and suffers from a deficit of attention to detail and routine.”

[ladycato · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program, and I'm very glad I did. As the mother of an autistic child, the subject matter of autism is very personal for me. NeuroTribes was educational and affirming. I was genuinely astonished at how enjoyable the book was, long-winded though it is at times (my early reviewer copy is just under 500 pages). Silberman writes about subjects that are horrible, but they are necessary matters to address: Hans Asperger's insights made within the context of Nazi-controlled Austria, the institutionalization of children (often labeled imbeciles and/or schizoid), and the abusive nature of many "therapies" in the past fifty years, up to the present day. There's also the vital topic of the vaccines-cause-autism debacle, which he saves for near the end. However, the book is not all grim and dire. There's wonderful brightness through the middle of the book as he addresses the importance of science fiction, fandom, and the internet within the autistic community. There is even a section on the movie Rain Man and how that changed public perception. The end of the book is extremely positive as it shows how autistics are now empowered, and that many of them are fully capable of finding their own place in the world. I love Silberman's approach to this. Honestly, I cheered aloud. I have really been appalled by the stance of Autism Speaks and the emphasis on finding a source or cure for autism, rather than on how to serve the kids AND adults who need help now. The overall message of the book is that there is no autism epidemic. Autism has always existed. That different manner of thought has been essential to our survival as a species. Only now, it is diagnosed in a very specific way, and autistics are not hidden from society. If you have any interest in the history of autism research, I really, really recommend this. It's a challenging read at times, but it's also full of hope and potential. I look at my son and I see that hope and potential, too.

[junipersun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As the mother of an autistice adult child, I did not find this useful, tho I can imagine that the final 2 chapters might be relevant to those with Asperger's or high end of the spectrum.More a history of how westerners have dealt with autism than a prospective look at "neurotribes". Silberman is skilled at making connections between disparate events, so that a closing sentence leads into the topic of the next paragraph. However, his jumps between different time periods leaves all but the most scrutinizing neurotypical reader confused about what's happening when. Definitely not a book that can be followed with any clarity if you only have spare moments for your reading pleasure.His history begins with describing an eccentric in the 1700's who, he declares, surely had ASD. He spends lengthy chapters on the history of Nazi attitude and killing of anyone with disabilities and on the equally regrettable history in the US of sterilization and shock treatments.Silberman is heavily focused on providing the back story for events. As an example, at one point he goes on for several pages about Bill who had been institutionalized for years, and then clearly states that Bill did not have autism. So why is his story here? It seems it was included solely to show why the scriptwriter for Rain Man was inspired to write that play.His chapter on the inclusion of various labels for autism in the updates to the DSM (standard reference for clinicians) implies that the huge increase in sales and profits for each succeeding edition is due to inclusion and subsequent delineations of autism associated diagnoses when, I'm sure, any sales are more likely related to requirements of insurance companies which relate coverage to diagnoses (of all kinds) & increasing reliance of families on insurance coverage.He barely mentions megavitamin supplements and special diets (p 262)and includes a warning that families "should run in the other direction" (p 477). Tho he does have a lot to say about Rimland (who advocated this approach), most of it seems to be about his personality & conflicts. Likewise, he gives short shrift to the possibility of environmental toxins having any role (406ff), but presents no data on anything other than the controversy over mercury in vaccines--which he presents as having been soundly refuted. His mention of DNA tests appears to be a study in the 1990's which failed "to find evidence of chromosomal abnormalities in the community" (p 407). He leaves us imagining that parents who follow any of those avenues are "desperate for some sense of control over her children's plight." (p 407) and being sidetracked away from a search for effective services. I believe we are making more progress in identifying mutations which affect neurotransmitters, enzymes, and processes which will help focus a treatment approach--not to make our children "normal", but to give them some relief from internal distress. There are a high number of individuals on the lower end of the spectrum with gut issues and with multiple problems. He criticized Kanner for trying to define Autism as not applying to anyone with any other medical issues, yet he may be doing the same himself.Chapter 11 begins his discussion of future possibilities. He makes a case for us to accept people on the spectrum as they are, to allow them input on policies that affect them. But his examples seem to be on the Asperger's end of the spectrum. He paints a fantasy world where families head off to the aquarium or the movies & enjoy "stimming" together. Nowhere does he address the very prevalent issue of adults on the spectrum who are still self-injurious, or who have violent outbursts. Vague proposals to for "Designing appropriate forms of support and accommodation" (p. 470) is not helpful for those of us struggling to find out what those could be, especially those who live in small towns or are struggling to make a living. He doesn't go into any detail about what these effective services are. In the final chapter he lists some goals: "sensory-friendly environments", teaching materials adapted to diverse learning styles, representation in policy making, and peer mentoring. Pretty generalized statements, compared to the volumes of detail provided for the history of autism.This review is based on an Advanced Reader's Copy. Page numbers may not match the final printing. I greatly missed having an index, which is supposed to be included in the final copy.

[anaraguard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly researched, well written and badly needed account of autism, Asperger's, schizo-affective disorder, childhood schizophrenia...the malady called by many names over the years. Steve Silberman has done yeoman's work and a real service to families who have desperately needed light in the darkness of their children's mysterious behaviors. While reading this, I was at times infuriated, fascinated, and grief-stricken. Ultimately, the answers--to him--lie in adapting ourselves to the range of neurodiversity that exists. He favors expanding services over hunting for causes or cures. Whether that will be sufficient remains to be seen.

[kasthu_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was an incredibly well-organized and researched book that gives its reader a nuanced portrait of autism spectrum conditions through history and as we currently understand it.

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite the clever title, this is a history of autism and a very good one. I'd recommend it whether you're interested in the subject or just after a good read. The style is more journalistic than scholarly but avoids the grossest excesses of the genre. It's also properly referenced and very well researched.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a highly informative and very readable book about a subject on which a vast amount of information -- much of which is contradictory -- is available. I read to to help me better understand the problems facing my dearest friend, who has an autistic grandchild. The book provided the information and analysis I need, providing a comprehensive review of how scientists' understanding of autism has progressed, and about how very much that has been influenced by parents. The author makes clear that there is still a lot of disagreement about autism, but seems to come down in favor of sensible arguments and prescriptions. First and foremost, he stresses the importance of making room for autistic people in our society.

[mcdenis-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very useful discussion of the diversity of autism. It should be on every caregiver's list. The autism spectrum is now crowding the list for services for the disabled but not all is lost. Silberman has cast a very positive light on this conversation.I was given an electronic copy in return for an honest review.

[raistlinsshadow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What I thought this book was would be a look into the future and promise of autism research and autistic individuals, as well as other instances of neurodiversity, but this book is largely a history of how the current diagnostic criteria for autism were created. So the title is somewhat misleading—essentially just the final chapter is on what the future might hold.Continuing to get the bad out of the way first, the book is extremely long-winded in its historical accounts, enough so that it took me several months to get through simply because I'd get bored and put it away in favor of something else. Some of the descriptions of the science in the more modern portions of the book are so simplified as to be incorrect, which should not be the case in a book written by a science writer and for an audience that's at least enthusiastic about this side of historical social sciences. In fact, I was expecting something like pointing out more strongly how some of the modern "treatments" for autism are just plain wrong, but that never quite came.That being said, it is a treat to have the scope of the entire history of autism research laid out in one place. I enjoyed the anecdotal accounts of raising autistic children over the last 200 years or so, and I would have liked to see more of that.

[breic-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second half went into a little more detail than I cared to know, but overall this was a fascinating piece of history, nearly all new to me.

[episkounova-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really interesting book, about the history of autism: diagnosis, treatment, and society's attitudes to autistic individuals as well as changes in public policy, from the initial diagnosis by Asperger and Kanner to today. Really easy to read, a great mix of personal anecdotes and historical facts.

[corinnealyssa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

NeuroTribes is an excellent, engaging history of the autism movement. Silberman does a wonderful job at deconstructing how common myths regarding autism developed and why an approach embracing neurodiversity is so critical for the future. In particular, he offers an excellent analysis of the vaccine wars of the last decade, as well as the damaging approaches still underway today to "cure" autism, rather than recognizing that diverse neurological conditions appear as a result of normal variations in the human genome. All in all, Silberman has done a wonderful job at picking up the mantle of the late Oliver Sacks in outlining the immense value society gains by embracing the unique gifts that result naturally along the spectrum, and how our challenge is simply to help people on the spectrum to access the tools and resources they need to live happy and productive lives. Highly readable and recommended to everyone.

[pbirch01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

NeuroTribes is an excellent overview of the history and current state of autism that is both accessible and informative. The book largely covers the history of autism and although its mentioned in the subtitle, the book barely defines what "neurodiversity" means. NeuroTribes moves along the historical timeline of autism research while focusing on a few autistic people (generally children) and their diagnosis and the current approaches to treatment at the time. This narrative strategy is interesting but there become so many subplots that all sound the same that they quickly muddle together and it can be difficult to focus on the overall narrative. There is some mention of genetics but very little coverage on what autism is and the proposals of the leading scientific theories. However as a whole, I think it is a very strong work and while it might not mention or theorize much about the future of autism it does provide a very thorough overview of the past of autism.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this important work, Silberman writes with a clear thesis: we should be moving toward acceptance of autism and accommodation for autistic persons, rather than focusing on finding the causes of autism and seeking a "cure" for autism. He presents the history of autism, which clearly existed in the past, including detailed discussion of Aspberger's studies, which were "lost" for years, perhaps because they took place in Nazi Germany. He also discusses the history and development of the various organizations for the families of autistics up to and including organizations autistic people have formed for themselves.Various of the tried and failed treatments for autism, including behavior modification, megavitamins, and other dietary modifications, many of which claimed high "cure" rates, claims which can't be substantiated, are discussed. The whole vaccine debate is covered in depth, as is the period during which a generation of autism was blamed on "refrigerator mothers."The book also considers the issue of whether there has been a recent huge rise in the incidence of autism. This may come down to the way in which the definition of autism has been modified and remodified over the years. The earliest definitions were very narrow, making autism indeed a rare disease. Current definitions are much broader and more open and nebulous, which Silberman feel is a high contributing factor to what is seen as the current epidemic of autism.This is an engaging and informative book, from which I took the message that our society is becoming more neurodiverse. As a society in which the number of autistics is the same as the number of Jews, we need to be moving toward acceptance and accommodation, rather than seeking causes and cures.

[bookcaterpillar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an outstanding book! Could not put it down and kept trying to rearrange my life over the past few weeks to spend more time reading & rereading. This is up there as one of my favorite reads over the past few years. I appreciated how Silberman organized a massive story, and was surprised at some of the twists & turns from Silicon Valley to the tortures of psychological practices & tests and behavioral modifications to the neurodiversity rights movement, and everything in between. Having been a fan of Sacks' books, I enjoyed his foreword and learning more about his experiences & research, too. And how wonderful to learn of how many women scientists have contributed to this field in the US and abroad. Really enjoyed the biographies of some inventive autistics of previous eras-great reading!What surprised me: I don't feel like in all of the those pages that I was provided with a definition or benchmarks of what the spectrum is. I get that the DSM (and other factors) have impacted diagnosis, but I still don't know what does make for a diagnosis. I understand better the idea of "low functioning vs high functioning, but don't understand how that's determined for schools and support. I'm not suggesting that a book that already covered so much needed to cover these (I can research it), but I was surprised all the same.I wonder what activists working for an autism cure may say in response to this book. Will also be on the lookout for what others reactions might be to the neurodiversity (ND) & neurotypical (NT) language at the end of the book. For me, this book has given me insights into a community that I had no idea was so large & diverse, and ways that I might better consider those around me. I've already thought about the way I teach and the way I engage students, including our physical spaces. I already ask people to refrain from perfumes as I'm incredibly sensitive, but hadn't thought about quiet spaces and other simple "accommodations" that would actually be helpful for EVERYONE. I've started thinking more about my NT ways and how I can seek out more ND in my personal and professional life.In short, I hope that I've had exactly the reactions to this book as Silberman had hoped for. I knew little more about autism than my experience with IEPs in schools, the scandal of the vaccines (although I still suspected a link to meds, vaccines, enviro toxins, and if I'm honest, I still have some suspicions there), and was certainly of the false belief that this was a new phenomena. I'm interested in this topic so much now and hope to continue learning more about the neurodiversity and disability rights movement. I'm encouraged to work toward creating a more inclusive and supportive community that is diverse in all ways. For example, I'm now not as intimidated to have conversations about autism in the workplace - just as I've become more comfortable talking about mental illness over the years - now that I have a better understanding and more informed perspective. So glad that I received this book as an early reviewer and can't recommend it enough. Also encourage others to read reviews on other sites, appreciated Silberman has jumped onto at least one of those sites that was critical of his work with some helpful comments and clarifications.

[being_b-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A (long!) look at the history of what we now call 'autism spectrum disorder.' A lot of it is grim (I read about 20% of the book very, very quickly with my eyes nearly squinched shut because it was so painful), some of it is hopeful, and I'm very glad to see the whole "story so far" presented all together in one place.

[wellreadcatlady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

NeuroTribes gives a detailed account of the history of Autism and how the research was influenced by public opinion on autistic people. Interesting book if you want to know the history of autism from misdiagnosis, how it became it's own disorder, belief of causes, treatment, and stigmatization through time. It's well written and reads smoothly, but it is a long book. Would of liked to see more science and hopes for the future. Overall a good introduction to autism, especially for people who don't really have experience with someone with autism, can teach you a lot!

[waltzmn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Let's start with the disclaimer: I am autistic, but my condition is "mild" enough that I wasn't diagnosed until I was fifty-one. In a sense, I live on the boundary between autism and neurotypicality. So where do I belong?That's the best thing about this book: Author Silberman doesn't care. This is, in effect, a history of autism not as a condition but as a phenomenon -- from the 1940s, when Hans Asperger correctly and Leo Kanner incorrectly described it, until today. At first, it was considered a horrid, live-ruining condition. Now -- it is a recognized, common, but still misunderstood state of being. We still aren't dealing with it very well. But Silberman sees that we can if we choose to.This is not a perfect book. The section about Nazi-ism is perhaps too explicit; so is the section on Ole Ivar Lovaas's brutal form of behavioral conditioning. I think it spends too much time on the movie "Rain Man." And I feel more should have been said about the catastrophic failure of psychodynamic therapy (psychoanalysis/Freudianism) to deal with any genuine neurobiological condition. It wasn't just Leo Kanner and Bruno Bettelheim; they were symptoms of a movement that listened only to itself. And... can we please back off on Temple Grandin? Grandin has done more for autism than any living person, and her insights are brilliant -- but she does not speak for all people with autism. She thinks in pictures; I can't so much as imagine a geometric pattern. She admits to relatively weak feelings toward people; mine can be so strong as to cause severe misunderstandings. She can't do formal mathematics; I have a degree in the subject. And so forth. There is no one who truly speaks for all people with autism; we are a chorus, not a single voice. And that point isn't very clear in the chapter about the current diversity of autism organizations; it really didn't feel as if it described my world.The section on computer geeks may be a bit much, too. I never knew any of the big names Silberman talked about -- but I knew people very like this in my own college days. To me, it filed under "been there, done that." And, although Silberman doesn't seem to have noticed, people in the science fiction/computer trades have been writing about autism for a very long time. In 1973, Ursula K. LeGuin published "Vaster than Empires and More Slow," which made a wild and incorrect guess about what caused autism -- but correctly suggested that one of the problems associated with the condition was being bombarded by sensations which one could not control. Isaac Asimov around the same time published "Stranger in Paradise," which also had a partially-valid concept of what autistic people felt and didn't feel. Even in the 1970s, the problem wasn't good ideas, it was getting that (still very Freudian) establishment to listen.But the failure to see the whole vast picture is a very slight weakness, it's also a strength -- because the book knows that our understanding is imperfect. This volume does much to remind us of how much Hans Asperger had right, and how much effort it took by many, many autistic parents, and by experts like Lorna Wing, as well as by people with autism themselves, to clear away the many years of error and false analysis. It is a history of halting progress -- but, as this book shows, it is a history of real progress.And it looks forward to the next stage: The world in which people with autism are accepted for what they are. Yes, we have problems. (We do, folks.) We also have strengths -- as his chapter on the amazing physicist Henry Cavendish shows. Silberman didn't have to choose Cavendish; he could have chosen Isaac Newton, or Albert Einstein, or Marie and Pierre Curie. Or the many who aren't scientists. Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll. C. S. Lewis. Charles Darwin. Archimedes. J. R. R. Tolkien and Thomas Jefferson had many autistic traits. These are people who have made the world much richer. We shouldn't be institutionalizing them, we shouldn't be curing them -- and we shouldn't be rejecting them when they make mistakes. (As they/I do.) We should be giving them a world in which the strengths make us all stronger.In many ways, this book is itself like a person with autism. It's not quite perfect. It's not quite complete. But there is no other book like it, and it can teach us things we would not have learned any other way.

[katevane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Neurotribes opens with a question – why is autism suddenly so visible? From popular culture to the children of the author’s contacts in Silicon Valley, he keeps hearing about autism. He sets out to discover why.His quest takes in the history of our understanding of autism, the reasons for the increase in the diagnosis and the changing experiences and treatment of autistic people.Neurotribes is written with the pace of a thriller, and vividly brings to life academic rivalries, tabloid panics and science fiction fandom. Interspersed are the stories of the people the author has encountered along the way – autistic people, their families and carers, clinicians and writers, and even movie stars. Parts of the book are very dark, including the accounts of institutionalisation of people dismissed as ‘feeble-minded’ and the horrors of Nazism. It is a timely reminder that Hitler was not an aberration but a man who exploited ideas which were widely articulated in Europe and the US at the time.A running theme through the book is the tension between those who think that autistic people need to be ‘cured’ and those who think that society benefits from the strengths of autistic people and should accommodate their particular needs. The book ends on a positive note as it discusses the self-advocacy movement and profiles autistic people who have found their own ways to live fulfilling lives.I found Neurotribes a fascinating and moving read.*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

[ellienyc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by Steve Silberman provides a comprehensive (and very moving) history of autism from its original diagnostic criteria by Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger to parent-run organizations up to today's self-advocacy groups, in which people with autism are speaking for themselves and advocating for a focus on services not cures.At first, I was overwhelmed by the amount of detail Silberman gives. It seemed as though what could be summed up in a couple of paragraph was explored for pages. As I got deeper into the book, however, I came to appreciate Silberman's approach which provides not only a generalized overview of the topic but depth as well. The stories of the labeling mothers as "refrigerator mothers," the narrowness and lack of scientific validity of the diagnostic process as well as the sometimes amazing efforts on the part of clinicians such as Asperger as well as family's to appreciate the child's (and as time went on, the adult's) strengths as well as difficulties became much more satisfying than a mere outline of the history would have been.By the time Silberman's book approaches its end, the focus has shifted from autism as a childhood tragedy to a more comprehensive view of autism as a spectrum condition that is not only about children but adults as well. The neurodiversity movement calls for society to change, not only to "fix" the autistic person (although certainly to help address needs) but also to appreciate the person's strength's and perspectives and the skills that a different perspective can bring to the table of society.Silberman's book moved me to anger and to tears and (occasionally) to laughter. The conclusion of the book, with its call for respect and accommodation to a variety of ways of processing the world, left me wanting to cheer.I thank Steve Silberman for his beautiful work and (in the interest of full disclosure) LibraryThing for giving me this book as a part of its Early Reviewers' program. My opinions are my own.I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in autism, the disability rights' movement, or simply in the potential of all people to contribute to community and how everyone benefits from a policy of inclusion. In fact, I would recommend this book especially to people who have not given much thought to the subject. The implications of a shift in society's attitude would impact all of us positively. It could change the world we live in for the better.

[kukulaj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The human mind is so complex, and of course our attempts to understand it are themselves just more facets of that very mind, a self-referentiality that is so problematic that it becomes very easy to doubt how much progress we will ever make! The history of psychology does not inspire much confidence!Silberman's book takes us through much of this tangle, focused specifically on the autism spectrum. While he shows us many of the wrong turns, in the end the picture he presents is so bright and full of hope, it inspires deep optimism. While autism is a very complicated family of psychological patterns, it seems that methods are emerging that really allow psychologists to map and measure the relevant behaviors. Autism seems to be emerging from the fog... still it has indistinct boundaries that fold and merge into other syndromes, so it can't be called very distinct. But still, if there is at least a central zone that can be outlined with some clarity, it feels as though we are making some real progress.This is a fat enough book already. It never bogged down at all - Silberman did a good job of organizing his material around a few coherent narrative threads. The whole story, though, is a lot bigger, I think. There are really two dimensions of optimism here: our increasing understanding of psychology, and our increasing accommodation of psychological differences - of neurodiversity. This accommodation is a part of a broader current in society, of accommodating diversity in many dimensions, of people's different physical abilities, and beyond. Nowadays, especially with the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, but really accommodation and tolerance are huge political issues. We are still struggling with racism! We are not really free from the dark currents that promote intolerance, purity, and narrow visions of unified coherent truth. Whether it is monotheism or monologism, if there is one right way, then all other ways must be wrong, and the accommodation of diversity is the accommodation of error, which must itself be erroneous. Silberman paints a beautiful picture of a struggle to reach a promised land. At this point I think we have just a glimpse of that promised land. The struggle to actually enter that land, that struggle has hardly begun. Silberman is certainly right to celebrate the great achievement of glimpsing a world where neurodiversity is cherished. Now we need a strategy for the next steps of the journey. Look even at biodiversity. Are humans alone of essential value and other species only valuable insofar as they benefit we humans? We are facing a huge conflict. Neurodiversity is a fascinating component of that, but just one component. If the various diversity movements can become allies, they can strengthen each other. There is always the temptation to bargain, to buy accommodation for the diversity that I care about in a trade that sells off accommodation for dimensions of diversity that don't concern me. Of course, this kind of divide and conquer strategy needs to be recognized and an adequate defense built. There is a lot of work in front of us!

[zzshupinga · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When it comes to talking about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), such as Asperger’s, there has been a dearth of good literature until the last decade, thanks primarily to Dr. Temple Grandin, Tony Atwood, and others. And although these writers have helped propel an intelligent and comfortable discussion on ASD into the spotlight, it still felt like the spotlight never lasted long. Or at least never lasted long on topics that were helpful, as discussions on vaccines causing autism still cause irreparable damage to people on the spectrum today. However, in 2015 a book burst onto the scene that discussed not only the history of ASD, but also its place in our society, and its future. Wired reporter Steve Silberman brought to life this discussion in Neurotribes. One of the most important conversations that Silberman brings to bear, is that he considers that neurological differences such ASD are not errors of nature or by products of the “toxic” modern world. Instead that they are a result of the natural variation of the human genome over the course of time. And while there are many other important aspects to this book, this one hits home for me as I am on the spectrum. And growing up being on the spectrum was considered a bad thing. It meant you weren’t as intelligent or that you were going to have issues later in life that could be devastating or any other number of horrible things. And as such it was only later in life that I was diagnosed as being on the spectrum, something that would have helped make life easier for me growing up if I had known this. Instead, I now get to add to the literature. To help challenge the preconception of society. And use books like Steve’s as a grounds to stand on.Silberman discusses not only the scientific detail and history of ASD, but also the human aspect. He traces the history of those that worked to name and discover it, namely Leo Kanner in the United States and Hans Asperger in Vienna in the 1940’s. And because of various reasons, this work became buried until the 1990’s when the DSM-III-R finally classified autism as syndrome with different symptoms and issues. This in part, led to the sensationalism and simplistic explanations that there was an epidemic of autism. Silberman focuses though on the human side is what makes this book really stand out. He talks to people from all walks of life who have been impacted by autism. From families and friends, to individuals, to historical figures that may have been on the spectrum, as Nikola Tesla. He portrays that this is something that affects a lot of people across the world, and our current perception of it can have a negative impact and that we need to change it. That we need to stand up and understand that neurodiversity is what helps make the world better. What changes us and keeps us going. And that it will make all the difference.This is a must read book for anyone. For everyone. To understand the issues at stake. To understand what the future holds. And what must be changed.ARC provided by LibraryThing Early Reviews

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Neurotribes by Steve Silberman is a thorough, fascinating look at the history and current state of autism by a former Wired journalist who knows how to tell a story. I recommend it for anyone interested in the subject.In writing about the tech industry, Silbermangot inspired by the apparent connection in Silicon Valley between autism and parents who are tech coders and engineers. First spotted by Asperger (who had the high-functioning syndrome named after him), autism unfortunately originally got classified here in the U.S. in the 1940s in a narrow, mostly off-target way. Silberman does an excellent job of combining personal stories of autistic individuals and their parents with a detailed history of the evolution of our understanding of autism. We see early wrong-headed stabs in the dark like blaming the condition on cold, unemotional "refrigerator moms" (Leo Kanner later distanced himself from that one and acknowledged autism is inborn). The many and varied attempts to "correct" the behavior and make autistic children "normal" are frustrating to read about and, often, horrifying. Institutionalization was a disaster for autistic children. The worst, for me, was some doctors' infatuation with "aversion" therapy, that is, punishment for abnormal behavior. Oh, those poor children.Contrast this early view from Hans Asperger, back in the 1930s, which is so in tune with current thinking:"We claim - not on the basis of theory, but on the basis of our experiences with many children like this - that this boy's positive and negative qualities are two natural, necessary, interconnected aspects of one well-knit, harmonious personality. We could express it this way: this boy's difficulties - which particularly affect his relationships with himself and other people - are the price that he has to pay for his special gifts."If only that perspective had caught on in the early days! WWII and ignorance of Asperger's work in Austria interfered.The debunked theory of causation by vaccination is covered, as is the view held by some, even today, that autism needs to be "cured". As famous autistic designer and author Temple Grandin has said, we'd all be losers if autism were eliminated, as some of our greatest accomplishments have been by people we now believe were on the spectrum. One of my favorite parts of the book was the organized and outraged resistance from organizations of autistic individuals, "neurodiversity activists" and parents of autistic children, to a U.S. charity's advertising autism as "stealing children". It agreed to stop the campaign. We now look at autism as a spectrum, thanks to English psychiatrist Lorna Wing, to whom the book is dedicated, and the majority of us view it as a different way of experiencing the world. It needs to be accommodated, not "cured".I hadn't realized the impact of the Dustin Hoffman 1988 movie "Rain Man' in the autistic world, with parents of autistic children suddenly finding strangers intrigued rather than alarmed by their children's behavior - "oh, he's like the Rain Man". Temple Grandin, beginning in 1989, and other autistic people increasingly after that, began speaking in public about their experiences, and the unnecessary difficulties autistics encounter in the "normal" world. Jim Sinclair, who realized his condition after seeing a movie on autism, gave a poignant speech at an autism conference about the damaging effect of parents wanting their children on the spectrum to be made normal. That conveys a message that they are deficient and inadequate:"This is what we hear when you mourn over our existence. This is what we hear when you pray for a cure. This is what we know, when you tell us of your fondest hopes and dreams for us: that your greatest wish is that one day we will cease to be, and strangers you can love will move in behind our faces".Oh my. "Don't mourn for us" he says. "We are alive. We are real. And we're here waiting for you."Silberman's descriptions of autistic people joyfully gathering together, just them and no "neurotypicals", got to me maybe more than anything else. Neurotribes. The one change I would make to the book, if I could, is to shorten some of the author's digressions. They're unfailingly interesting, and I can see why he did it, but the book is long, and cutting back on some of that would, IMO, give it even more zip. Because of that, I give it 4 and 1/2 stars, but it probably deserves 5 regardless.

[pjsullivan_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What is autism? Is it a disabling disorder or a normal genetic variation? What causes it? Is it psychogenic or inborn genetic? Is it caused by environmental toxins? By vaccines? Is it a type of schizophrenia? Is it linked to genius? Is it an error of nature or a gift of nature? An asset or a liability? Or both?This book is a history of our changing perceptions of the autism syndrome. Like any syndrome, it is only a theory, an attempt to combine clusters of symptoms into neat packages that can be dealt with. This is not a medical treatise, though it has a psycho-medical theme. It dips into psychology, molecular biology, orthomolectular medicine, sociology, epidemiology, without proving anything. It discusses the vaccinations controversy but does not resolve it to my satisfaction. It strongly suggests that autism is genetic in origin, but does not close the discussion with that. It argues against psychogenesis and causation by “refrigerator moms” or toxic miiieus. It is one man’s opinion, worth considering, but probably not the final word. Much remains to be learned.Meanwhile it calls for acceptance of autistic people as they are. Accomodation, not cure, is its goal. Neurodiversity, not neurosegregation, because autistic people have talents to contribute.This book is longer than it needs to be—some of it is anecdotal—but is recommended to readers who are sufficiently interested in the topic.

[dhm-16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm glad to see all the positive reviews below: this book is very heartening and nourishing -- I listened to it over several months, and wondered if I'd stick with it, but now having it under my belt I feel a great affection for it. It documents an important attitude shift and emergence from a dark past.