Overview

Uniquely Human is a groundbreaking book on autism, by one of the world's leading experts, who portrays autism not as a tragic disability, but as a unique way of being human. Autism is usually portrayed as a checklist of deficits, including difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. This perspective leads to therapies focused on ridding individuals of autistic symptoms. Now Dr. Barry M. Prizant, an internationally renowned autism expert, offers a new and compelling paradigm: the most successful approaches to autism don't aim at fixing a person by eliminating symptoms, but by seeking to understand the individual's experience and what underlies the behavior. In Uniquely Human, Dr. Prizant suggests a major shift in understanding autism: instead of classifying autistic behaviors as signs of pathology, he sees them as part of a range of strategies to cope with a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming. Rather than curb these behaviors, it's better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports that will naturally lead to more desirable behavior and a better quality of life. In fact, argues Dr. Prizant, attempts to eliminate autistic behaviors may actually interfere with important developmental processes. While it never discounts the difficulties of living with autism, Uniquely Human offers inspiring stories, and practical advice drawn from Dr. Prizant's four-decade career working in universities, schools, hospitals, and in private practice. It conveys a deep respect for people with autism and the qualities that make them special. Filled with humanity and wisdom, Uniquely Human offers a compassionate and insightful perspective that parents, professionals, and family members will find uplifting and hopeful.

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9781504655699

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Reviews

A masterful treatise advocating for necessary changes in the way we see, understand, and provide services to persons with autism. This is a book for all parents and persons providing professional services to individuals with significant disabilities, not just those with autism. My hope is that this exceptional book will bring about the change in thinking and practice it is intended to do. -- David E. Yoder, PhD, professor emeritus, University of North Carolina School of Medicine In the plethora of autism books, Uniquely Human stands alone as it holds the parents in highest of regard and honors the true experts-those with autism themselves. It will be the first book I recommend to parents whose children are recently diagnosed, and it will be the last book that seasoned parents of adults with autism will need to read. Uniquely Human reminds us all of our humanity. -- Elaine Hall, parent, author, speaker, founder of the Miracle Project An excellent book that conveys what autism is like and how individuals with autism may be helped to build on their strengths and gain a greater social understanding. The approach involves much practical guidance for families and teachers, but it is refreshingly flexible and non-dogmatic. -- Sir Michael Rutter, professor of developmental psychopathology, King's College, London A remarkable new approach to autism...The traditional methods of understanding and treating autism may be more harmful than we thought, argues leading autism expert Prizant...backed by cogent, compassionate anecdotes drawn from his many years in the field...As the author wisely notes, we must embrace their uniquely human experience, not subvert it...A truly impactful, necessary book. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Dr. Prizant explains the causes of behaviors associated with autism. I love his approach for understanding problems with sensory overload, anxiety, and discomfort. He provides common sense, practical advice based on a forty-year career working in the trenches with both parents and teachers. -- Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of The Autistic Brain

Author Information

Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, is among the world's leading authorities on autism, with more than forty years of experience as a scholar, researcher, and international consultant. He is an adjunct professor at Brown University and coauthor of The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach, now being implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published more than 120 articles and chapters and has received many awards, including the 2014 Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2005 Princeton University-Eden Foundation Career Award in Autism, and the 2013 Divine Neurotypical Award of GRASP. Tom Fields-Meyer is an author and journalist. A former senior writer for People, he has written for dozens of publications, including the New York Times Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. P. J. Ochlan is an Audie Award-winning, multiple Earphones Award-winning, and Voice Arts Award-nominated narrator of hundreds of audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has also included Broadway, the NY Shakespeare Festival under Joseph Papp, critically acclaimed feature films, and television series regular roles.

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