Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone

Engages with the perspectives of people with autism, in their own voices Autism has been defined by experts as a developmental disorder affecting social and communication skills as well as verbal and nonverbal communication. It is said to occur in as many as 2 to 6 in 1,000 individuals. This book challenges the prevailing, tragic narrative of impairment that so often characterizes discussions about autism. Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone seriously engages the perspectives of people with autism, including those who have been considered as the most severely disabled within the autism spectrum. The heart of the book consists of chapters by people with autism themselves, either in an interview format with the author or written by themselves. Each author communicates either by typing or by a combination of speech and typing. These chapters are framed by a substantive introduction and conclusion that contextualize the book, the methodology, and the analysis, and situate it within a critical disability studies framework. The volume allows a look into the rich and insightful perspectives of people who have heretofore been thought of as uninterested in the world.

Douglas Biklen is Professor of Cultural Foundations of Education, Teaching, and Leadership; and coordinates the Inclusive Education Program at Syracuse University. He is a senior faculty member in the Center on Disability Studies, Law and Human Policy. He is the author of Access to Academics and Contested Words, Contested Science. He was Educational Advisor for the Academy-Award-winning HBO documentary Educating Peter and is coproducer of the CNN documentary Autism is a World.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction A Discussion of Methods 1 Framing Autism 2I. An Introduction to Sue Rubin II. A Conversation with Leo Kanner (by Sue Rubin) 3I. An Introduction to Tito Rajarshi MukhopadhyayII. Questions and Answers (by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay and Douglas Biklen) 4I. An Introduction to Lucy Blackman II. Re?ections on Language (by Lucy Blackman) I. An Introduction to Larry Bissonnette II. Letters Ordered through Typing Produce the Story of an ArtistStranded on the Island of Autism (by Larry Bissonnette) 6I. An Introduction to Alberto Frugone II. Salient Moments in the Life of Alberto, as a Child, a Youth, a Young Man (by Alberto Frugone) 7I. An Introduction to Richard Att?eld II. The Colour of Rich (by Richard Att?eld) 8I. The World as I'd Like It to Be (by Jamie Burke) II. The Myth of the Person Alone (by Douglas Biklen) Bibliography IndexAbout the Authors