Life Behind Glass: A Personal Account of Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Wendy Lawson

Wendy Lawson has an autism spectrum disorder. Considered to be intellectually disabled and 'almost incapable of doing as she is told' at school, she was later misdiagnosed as schizophrenic - a label that stuck with her for more than 25 years.

Her sense of self was then non-existent, but Wendy is now a mother of four with two university degrees; she is a social worker and adult educator, and operates her own business. She is also a poet and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853029114
• ISBN13: 9781853029110
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Life Behind Glass

I bought this book because the title was what I have always thought would be the title of my own autobiography and I wanted to see if this person's mental location was the same as mine. Yes, there are differences: for one, I only changed schools twice -- and I had a horrible time with the second school I attended due to the class change system they had! I could never make sense of it! I did not have academic challenges -- only social ones! I can't say I enjoyed the book -- but I admire Ms. Lawson's courage to step forward and tell her story, a story that is shared by many in different ways.

Let's Raise Our Glasses to this Book!

This book, like Donna Williams' scholarly works on autism deserves a place of honor. This is a very gentle book that deals with a far from gentle topic. Most people, adults in particular who are on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) continuum seek normal life experiences, e.g. marriage, parenthood, successful social lives, etc. Sadly, many people who have autism have battle scars of "experts" who have misdiagnosed them and even sadder still, many such as Ms. Lawson have served time in hospitals as a result of this. Raun Kaufman, son of author Barry Neil Kaufman who wrote of Raun's stellar "recovery" from autism says in "Son-Rise II: The Miracle Contiues" that "expert" is the most misused term and the biggest misnomer in creation. Misguided experts latch onto theories and often make a concerted effort to justify giving a diagnosis to a client and trying to support their diagnostic claims. That is not uncommon and sadly, that is what has happened to Ms. Lawson and countless others. I call it the Procrustean Bed Approach wherein clients are diagnosed and treated based on the "expert's" initial impression and determination to support those findings, even if they are completely inaccurate. Hats off and kudos to Ms. Lawson for bravely sharing her story and bringing to mind just how serious this epidemic among "experts" is and just how costly it has proven to many. Her story is not unique. Now, if we could just continue to educate the neurotypical population...The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome and Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted Children And Adults: Adhd, Bipolar, Ocd, Asperger's, Depression, And Other Disorders are good places to start.

Excellent

I read an earlier edition of this book published in Australia in 1998. I really loved reading Wendy's autobiography. Perhaps this is because I read a different edition, but, unlike the previous reviewer, I didn't think it focused much on her misdiagnosis at all. There was a lot more to the book than that: her childhood, growing up in England; stints in hospital (a problem with her knee) and the role she took on there as a helper; training to be a nurse; a move to Australia. There are also some lovely and insightful descriptions of things/events most people take for ganted. It is a very well written book and is definately worth reading.

The plight of the misdiagnosed Asperger.

Life Behind Glass, like Soon Will Come The Light, is another gently readable story of an able person on the Autistic Spectrum who becomes institutionalised for mental illness and comes out the other side. Wendy is a lonely, misunderstood but friendly character in this book, seeking acceptance, equality, inclusion as well as marrying and having children along the way. But she went into a mental institution diagnosed Schizophrenic and came out only to be diagnosed years later with Asperger's Syndrome. Her story in this sense is that of so many people with Asperger's diagnosed late in life and reminds us of how many such people are still misdiagnosed in mental hospitals and recklessly over medicated as she was. Of course there is another question that we fail to ask sometimes which is that whilst Wendy was not Schizophrenic a percentage of people on the spectrum will have not just an ASD but mental health issues as well, including Depression, Bipolar, OCD and Schizoprhenia. So its important not to assume that people on the spectrum are necessarily one or the other, necessarily do or don't need medication. Whilst Wendy has very good grounds to look back with cynicism at the ignorance of her misdiagnosis with Schizophrenia, there are others who also have ASDs whose lives are improved by treating co-morbid mental health issues. What Wendy's book pertinently reminds us is that there is much work to be done to find out which people fit in these two groups in order to best support them in the most helpful and healthy way.