Description
Book SynopsisTo understand the ways people with autism think, Peter Vermeulen argues, we need to try to get inside their world. The latest scientific thinking is clearly explained, and illustrated by numerous personal accounts. This introductory book offers the reader a real window into the autistic mind and the very individual way in which it processes information.
Honest and accessible, this book will be invaluable to anyone involved in the care of an autistic child.
Trade ReviewThe humour adds greatly to the text and results in a light-hearted and enjoyable read. This does not detract from either the seriousness of the condition or the information provided.
Peter Vermeulen intends the book to counter the often negative view of autism. He does this admirably without presenting an idealised picture of the condition. The idea that people with autism are not inferior but unique is a central theme. However he refers to autism as a disability and not just an alternative mode of thinking.
-- Bulletin
We have no idea what it is to see the world through the eyes of autism. We offend the logic of the autistic mind, we confuse with indirect and non-literal language, we exasperate with our unpredictability and our social obsessions. Translation is vital and Peter Vermeulen makes a great contribution towards that increased understanding with this small book. Anyone who reads it, and reads between the lines of the many wonderful anecdotes and examples, must surely be left with a greater respect for the autistic view of the world, and a sense of the value (as well as the challenge) of these very special minds. -- From the Foreword by Francesca Happé
This is a book that anyone who is even in the slightest measure involved in the lives of individuals with autism must keep on the shelves of his home library. -- Ina van Bercklaer-Onnes, Professor, Leiden University
This is an extremely practical book, very useful to all who have to deal directly with the problem of autism. -- Eddy Daniels, Intermediair
Table of ContentsForeword, by Francesca Happé. 1. Just describe me as a computer: About this book. 2. Humorous mechanics: About humour and artificial intelligence. 3. When the sign says red you have to stop: About autistic intelligence I. 4. When life is a dotted line: About social behaviour and identity. 5. The button man: About communications. 6. Applefries: About rigidity. 7. Making coffee is not a 2 + 2 problem: About problems and problem solving. 8. Between the lines: About autistic intelligence II. 9. End notes: About the references in this book. Bibliography. Index.
