Autism: An Inside-Out Approach: An Innovative Look at the 'Mechanics' of 'Autism' and Its Developmental 'Cousins'

by Donna Williams

Donna Williams' challenging book, written by an autistic person for people with autism and related disorders, carers, and the professionals who work with them, is a practical handbook to understanding, living with and working with autism. Exploring autism from the inside, it shows clearly how the behaviours associated with autism can have a range of different causes, and in many cases reflect the autistic person's attempt to gain control over their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853023876
• ISBN13: 9781853023873
• Release Date: May 1996
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Scholarly & Much Needed Work

Kudos to Donna Williams for criticizing the popular methods of treatment for people with autism. Kudos to Donna Williams for debunking the tired stereotypes about peopel with autism. I like the way she insists the "experts" be held accountable and gives in-depth, analytical reasons for problems that exist with many existing forms of treatment. Williams' suggestion of having different methods of treatment converge under one umbrella to serve the individual needs of the autistic population sounded very logical indeed. This scholarly work is detailed but not tedious; factual and direct. Each chapter is broken into subsections that focus on a particular issue, e.g. education, physiological "firings" in the brain; vitamins; medicines; sensory responses; information processing and developing langugage. The book also has an Appendix which includes good practical advice about working with people with autism. Her inclusion of national as well as international organizations is invaluable. Williams raises some excellent points in her book, e.g. exposing the myth of "hug/holding therapy" as being a panacea for neurological conditions. Many people with autism find hugs restrictive. The onslaught of sensory input during enforced hugs makes an unpleasant activity even more so. Insisting that people "hug on cue" is unnatural and does not engender love. People forced to suffer through this treatment will, as she rightfully points out, outwardly go along with it until they are released. It does not change the neurology or the feelings of the autistic person; this method is just a stop-gap approach that meets the hugger's need and not that of the person with autism. It also appears to be a very self serving form of treatment and one that should be called into question. It is also a form of manipulative control. Very little attention has been given to "unpleasant" hugs and the rights of people who don't want to be hugged in the first place. There are many people, autistic and neurotypical who are not overly fond of hugs and find them intrusive. I felt the book did an excellent job of providing a wide array of information about autism in a "reader friendly" format. A person with autism is by far and away the best authority on the subject. This book is like a magnet; readers will continue to be drawn to it and will continue "dipping into it" for information and guidance. This, as with any work cannot be all inclusive and cover every single item. Still, I feel it is exceptionally well done and one every educator, parent, person with autism should not be without. We need this book!

A veritable troubleshooter's manual for the wide range of challenges under the label of Autism.

Donna Williams is not only Autistic but a qualified teacher and this is her first text book written in a very easy style for parents, professionals and people who themselves are on the Autistic Spectrum. It became a bestselling Autism text book in the UK and one of the current teaching texts currently used in courses on developmental disabilities. This book looks at Autism not as one condition but as something with three different faces; problems of connection, problems of tolerance and problems of control. Within each of those categories she describes in detail the way different combinations of challenges can come together to appear to be one thing and gives very simple, easy to read, often home made solutions to tackling Autism related challenges on every different front. She covers issues like 'meaning deafness' and 'meaning blindness' but also tells us what we can do about them. She covers difficulties with processing a simultaneous sense of self and other and what that means for interaction and communication but also gives very specific clear outlines of strategies and approaches that can be used to help people compensate. She covers things like anxiety disorders and sensory perceptual problems as well as impulse control disorders. But more than just describing, this book is almost like the Autism equivalent of a car owner's manual. It doesn't just describe and make vague references. it goes further to give clear instructions on strategies people can easily begin to use at home. It also compares some of the more commercial and mainstream approaches but what's refreshing about the ideas in this book is so many of them cost little or nothing to try. Well worth having on call for troubleshooting moments or to help the novice or student get to grips with Autism not from the outside, but from the inside, and, more importantly, what can be done to help.

Extremely recommended reading

Autism: An Inside-Out Approach, has succeeded in telling experts on autism things they didn't know.Donna is intelligently critical of the popular and professional stereotypes of autism. She demands an end to the professional exclusivism and arrogance of so many proponents of therapies for autism. Donna proposes a "supermarket" approach, where the different therapies work together under the one roof to meet the unique set of problems of each autistic individual they serve.Autism: An Inside-Out Approach answers the problem of Carol and Willie, Donna's "characters" Oliver Sacks discusses a similar personality phenomenon to Donna's "characters" during his description of Dr Temple Grandin in An Anthropologist From Mars.The appendix to Autism: An Inside-Out Approach, is full of helpful advice on issues and problems involved in dealing with autism. There is also an international list of organisations and resource people Donna has found useful in her own struggle with autism.Two quibbles with Donna's brilliant, very readable exposition of autism: The word "refraction" is repeatedly used to refer to "shining", reflected light. Secondly, her useful coverage of nutrition and immunology problems in autistic people does not fully reflect the full raft of problems and issues in this area of autism research.Autism: An Inside-Out Approach is "extremely recommended" reading.