Revealing the untold story of the father of Asperger's syndrome, a landmark book reveals the secret history of autism, finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared, and provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle. - (Baker & Taylor)

This New York Times–bestselling book upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently.

“Beautifully told, humanizing, important.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Breathtaking.”—The Boston Globe
“Epic and often shocking.”—Chicago Tribune
 
WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NONFICTION AND THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD
 
What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.  Going back to the earliest days of autism research, Silberman offers a gripping narrative of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, the research pioneers who defined the scope of autism in profoundly different ways; he then goes on to explore the game-changing concept of neurodiversity. NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world. - (Penguin Putnam)

Kirkus Reviews

A well-researched, readable report on the treatment of autism that explores its history and proposes significant changes for its future. Silberman, a writer for Wired and other publications, explores the work of Hans Asperger, a Viennese pediatrician who saw a genetic root to the disorder, and Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist in Baltimore whose work led to the "refrigerator mother" concept promoted and exploited by Bruno Bettelheim. Woven into his accounts of the clinical work and theories of these men are a wealth of sympathetic stories of parents and their autistic children. There's even the story of the making of Rain Man, which featured Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man. The latest version of the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders recently redefined autism as autism spectrum disorder, a single disorder having a wide range of symptoms and severity. Asperger's syndrome, no longer in the DSM, is generally seen to be at the mild end of the spectrum. Silberma n argues for the concept of neurodiversity, the idea that this disorder—and others like dyslexia and ADHD—represents naturally occurring cognitive variations that have contributed to the evolution of human culture and technology. As the author writes, people with autistic traits "have always been part of the human community, standing apart, quietly making the world that mocks and shuns them a better place." In the closing chapters, the author acknowledges the emergence of autistic-run organizations, the impact of the Internet in providing a natural home for the growing community of newly diagnosed teens and adults, and a growing civil rights movement that doesn't depend on hopes for a cure but seeks to help autistic people and their families live more productive and secure lives. In the foreword, Oliver Sacks writes that this "sweeping and penetrating history…is fascinating reading" that "will change how you think of autism." No argument with that assessmen t . Copyright Kirkus 2015 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.