Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

"I immediately recognized Uniquely Human as a perfect companion book to my own, particularly suited for parents, educators, and clinicians. If my book offers a panoramic overview of autism history, Uniquely Human is the lessons of that history applied. One of its primary messages is that there’s no such thing as “autistic behavior” — there’s just human behavior. If a child is having a meltdown, it’s not particularly helpful to regard their distress as just another manifestation of pathology. Instead, Prizant and Fields-Meyer suggest asking why a child is behaving in a certain way, which can often reveal a source of discomfort that can be ameliorated, such as a scratchy garment or a buzzing fluorescent light. It seems like a simple insight, but after decades of expensive, time-consuming, and occasionally brutal interventions focused on training autistic children to suppress “odd” behavior that helps them regulate their emotions and anxiety, it’s a revolution. The authors also provide helpful strategies for enabling autistic children to build on their natural strengths, instead of dwelling on what they can’t do."