Clara Park - Exiting Nirvana

This is the definition of autism that appears in every issue of the Autism Society’s newsletter, The Advocate.

Autism is a complex developmental disorder that typically appears in the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its related disorders have been estimated to occur in as many as i in 500 individuals. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism’s occurrence.

Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions, and leisure and play activities. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate and relate to the outside world. They may exhibit repeated body movements (hand-flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, and they may resist changes in routines.

Over one half million people in the U.S. today have some form of autism. Its prevalence rate now places it as the third most common developmental disability — more common than Down syndrome.

There are now more books on autism than anyone can read. The best introduction to their range is the 200-title list available from the Autism Society of North Carolina Bookstore at 505 Oberlin Road, Suite 230, Raleigh, NC 27605—1345. Tel: (919) 743—0208. Web site: www.autismsociety-nc.org. It includes all the titles below and most of the others cited in the text.

Cohen, Shirley. Targeting Autism: What We Know, Don’t Know, and Can Do to Help Young Children with Autism and Related Disorders (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998). A realistic and readable survey of autism and its current treatments. Cohen describes an encouraging number of helpful educational programs, but remains skeptical of claims of cure.

Grand in, Temple. Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism (New York: Doubleday, 1995). A successful and articulate professional, Grandin gives significant insights into the abilities and disabilities of autism.

Frith, Uta, ed. Autism and Asperger Syndrome (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991). Six experts on autism describe autism and Asperger’s syndrome and consider their overlap. Contains Asperger’s original paper.

Hart, Charles. Without Reason: A Family Copes with Two Generations of Autism (New York: Harper & Row, 1989). How autism affected the author’s uncle in the days before diagnosis and treatment, and how it has affected his son.

McDonnell, Jane Taylor. News from the Border: A Mother’s Memoir of Her Autistic Son (New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1993). A vivid account of the development of an autistic child into an adolescent and young adult struggling to enter the normal world. Includes a valuable afterword by Paul McDonnell.

Maurice, Catherine. Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family’s Triumph over Autism (New York: Ballantine Books, 1994). A mother’s detailed account of her two children’s successful treatment by intensive behavioral methods. An informative and hopeful story that earns trust by its refusal to claim the method as a universal cure.

Poliak, Richard. The Creation of Dr. B: A Biography of Bruno Bettelheim (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997). A fascinating examination of the career of the man whose influence did so much to retard the understanding and treatment of autism.

Powers, Michael D., ed. Children with Autism: A Parents’ Guide (Kensington, Md.: Woodbine House, 1989). A comprehensive introduction. Extensive lists of national and state resources.

Schopler, Eric, ed. Parent Survival Manual: A Guide to Crisis Resolution and Related Developmental Disorders (New York: Plenum Press, 1995). Combining the experience of professionals and parents, this short, practical book is crammed with ingenious suggestions for dealing with the problems that arise in every aspect of daily life with an autistic child.

Seroussi, Karyn. Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research and Recovery (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000). A far-reaching exploration of the possible role of diet in the treatment of autism.

Siegel, Bryna. The World of the Autistic Child: Understanding and Treating Autistic Spectrum Disorders (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996). Comprehensive and thorough, Siegel’s book is richly packed with examples from her wide clinical experience.

Wing, Lorna. Autistic Children: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (New York: Brunner-Mazel, 1985). Dr. Wing explains autism with the authority of a professional and the understanding of a parent.

Autism Research Review International, Bernard Rimland, ed. Summarizes research in specialized journals; special interest in nutritional treatments. Published quarterly by Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Gary B. Mesibov, ed. Scholarly reports of highly specialized research; reviews of current books. Published quarterly by Plenum Press, 233 Spring Street, NY 10013.

The MAAP: A Quarterly Newsletter for Families of More Advanced Individuals with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Susan Moreno, ed. Perspectives on the problems and possibilities of high-functioning autism, written by parents, professionals, and autistic people themselves. Published by MAAP Services, Inc., P.O. Box 524, Crown Point, IN 46308. Web site: www.maapservices.org.

NAARRATIVE: Newsletter of the National Alliance for Autism Research. Updates on research, legislation, and other issues concerning autism. Published by National Alliance for Autism Research, 414 Wall Street, Research Park, Princeton, NJ 08540. Toll-free tel. (888) 777-NAAR. Web site: www.naar.org.

Bogyo, Lola, and Ronald Ellis. „Elly: A Study in Contrasts“, in The Exceptional Brain, L. K. Obler and D. Fein, eds. (New York: Guilford Press, 1988).

Park, Clara Claiborne. „Autism into Art: A Handicap Transfigured“, in High-Functioning Individuals with Autism, E. Schopler and G. B. Mesibov, eds. (New York: Plenum Press, 1992).

„Elly and the Right to Education“, in Contemporary Issues in Special Education, R. E. Schmid, J. Moneypenny, and R. Johnston, eds. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977).

„Growing Out of Autism“, in Autism in Adolescents and Adults, E.

Schopler and G. B. Mesibov, eds. (New York: Plenum Press, 1983).

The Siege: A Family’s Journey into the World of an Autistic Child.

Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. First published in 1967 as The Siege: The First Eight Years of an Autistic Child; reissued in 1982 with an epilogue, „Fifteen Years After“.

„Social Growth in Autism: A Parent’s Perspective“, in Social

Behavior in Autism, E. Schopler and G. B. Mesibov, eds. (New York: Plenum Press, 1986).

Park, David. „Operant Conditioning of a Speaking Autistic Child“, Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, vol. 4, no. 2 (1974), pp. 189–191.

Park, David, and Philip Youderian. „Light and Number: Ordering Principles in the World of an Autistic Child“, Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, vol. 4, no. 4 (1974), pp. 313–323.

Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116. Tel: (619) 281-7165; Web site: www.autism.com/ari.