Understanding Autism (ebook)

Argumento de Understanding Autism (ebook)

"Silverman provides a very good account of autism; knowledgeable readers will find themselves nodding along with the details. The author excellently portrays the relationship of autism with its social history."--Choice

"Understanding Autism . . . is the most sensitive account by an academic historian."--Steven Shapin, New Yorker

"Comprehensive, well annotated, and fascinating to read, Understanding Autism will appeal to readers from a broad variety of disciplines. Silverman provides an honest and refreshing perspective on encouraging dialogue about a condition that will likely continue to be in the public spotlight for decades to come."--Science

"Silverman's book presents a vivid picture of the ongoing and somewhat dialectical (in the Hegelian sense) relationship between parents of autistic children and professionals who specialize in autism."--W. R. Albury, Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"For Chloe Silverman, 'understanding autism' means understanding how autism has become a diagnostic category and why for some people, in autism advocacy groups for example, it isn't a pathology at all but just a different way of seeing the world. . . . Silverman's remarkable book is a testimony to the difference parents of autistic children have made to the understanding of autism, and it also has things to say about the difference a parent's understanding can make to understanding many other things that children suffer from."--Adam Phillips, London Review of Books

"Understanding Autism is the most sensitive account by an academic historian."--Steven Shapin, The New Yorker

"Autism remains a contested condition, and given the steep rise in research, diagnosis rates and media coverage, the debate is set to run and run. Science historian Chloe Silverman gives a balanced, sensitive social history of autism that unflinchingly covers many controversial byways. She explores the theory and biomedical advances, and how gene banks, schools and autism organizations have enriched understanding--augmented by parents of children with autism, whose experiences have informed and inspired much research."--Nature

"Understanding Autism provides a much-needed and thorough history of autism. In addition, it makes a convincing case for incorporating affective relationships into science and technology studies and our understandings of the foundational elements of expertise. At moments in the book, however, the tension between affect and science are incompletely resolved. These moments of tension will likely prove elucidating in future research."--Marissa King, American Journal of Sociology

"Too few books tell the history of autism. Chloe Silverman bravely takes this on, without avoiding the difficult eras in this history. Sensitively exploring Bruno Bettelheim and Andrew Wakefield's involvement, while skillfully painting the evolution of modern genetic theory, Silverman describes even the more controversial treatments with a sense of balance and calm. Her book unearths new insights."--Simon Baron-Cohen, University of Cambridge

"This fascinating book combines historical perspective with ethnographic investigation of the grassroots autism movement. What unites past and present is the unwavering power of parents to influence the dizzying array of theories, practices, and interventions that have been advanced in response to the challenges posed by autistic children. Parental love and labor, long overshadowed by scientific discovery and professional authority, finally take center stage. Silverman makes a persuasive case for the interdependence of affect and objectivity in autism's dramatic narrative."--Ellen Herman, University of Oregon

"This timely book traces the history of autism as a diagnostic category, the various ways that researchers, practitioners, and parent activists have interpreted and acted upon autism, and some of the current controversies surrounding this contested diagnosis. With sensitivity and respect, Silverman makes a significant contribution by addressing seriously the role of love in the production of scientific knowledge, the practice of biomedicine, and the advocacy and research of parents."--Gail H. Landsman, author of Reconstructing Motherhood and Disability in the Age of "Perfect" Babies0Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Love as an Analytic Tool 1

Part One
Chapter 1: Research Programs, "Autistic Disturbances,"and Human Difference 29
Chapter 2: Love Is Not Enough: Bruno Bettelheim, Infantile Autism,and Psychoanalytic Childhoods 61
Chapter 3: Expert Amateurs: Raising and Treating Children with Autism 93
Interlude: Parents Speak: The Art of Love and the Ethics of Care 125

Part Two
Chapter 4: Brains, Pedigrees, and Promises: Lessons from the Politics of Autism Genetics 141
Chapter 5: Desperate and Rational: Parents and Professionals in Autism Research 167
Chapter 6: Pandora?s Box: Immunizations, Parental Obligations,and Toxic Facts 197
Conclusion: What the World Needs Now: Learning About and Acting on Autism Research 229

Notes 237
Bibliography 313
Index 329