Download or read book Switched On written by John Elder Robison and published by Random House. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind? In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next. Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others’ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight. Praise for Switched On “An eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing—as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat.”—The New York Times “Astonishing, brave . . . reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more.”—The Washington Post “Fascinating for its insights into Asperger’s and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation.”—Booklist “Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context.”—BookPage “A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?”—Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain “At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison’s lived experience.”—Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect

Download or read book Be Different written by John Elder Robison and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-03-22 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Be Different, New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye shares a new batch of endearing stories about his childhood, adolescence, and young adult years, giving the reader a rare window into the Autistic mind. In his bestselling memoir, Look Me in the Eye, John Elder Robison described growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a time when the diagnosis didn’t exist. He was intelligent but socially isolated; his talents won him jobs with toy makers and rock bands but did little to endear him to authority figures and classmates, who were put off by his inclination to blurt out non sequiturs and avoid eye contact. By the time he was diagnosed at age forty, John had already developed a myriad of coping strategies that helped him achieve a seemingly normal, even highly successful, life. In each story, he offers practical advice for anyone who feels “different” on how to improve the weak communication and social skills that keep so many people from taking full advantage of their often remarkable gifts. With his trademark honesty and unapologetic eccentricity, Robison addresses questions like: • How to read others and follow their behaviors when in uncertain social situations • Why manners matter • How to harness your powers of concentration to master difficult skills • How to deal with bullies • When to make an effort to fit in, and when to embrace eccentricity • How to identify special gifts and use them to your advantage Every person has something unique to offer the world, and every person has the capacity to create strong, loving bonds with their friends and family. Be Different will help readers and those they love find their path to success.

Download or read book Hello My Name Is Max and I Have Autism written by Max Miller and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2014-07-02 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Max Miller is a 12 year old high functioning autistic. Max was diagnosed with autism at age 5. His original prognosis was that he would never learn and was deemed “unteachable.” It was recommended to his parents that he be institutionalized as he would never thrive. His parents defied this assertion and pressed forward with a blend of traditional and non-traditional therapeutic methods. The blend of methods worked and Max began to communicate. Max was non-verbal until age 6. He did not learn to read and write until age 10. He is now integrated in the classroom and reads at grade level. Due to his disability, Max encountered many forms of discrimination, mostly due to ignorance. He was denied access to the many things allotted to children—sports, education, scouting, birthday parties, even playdates. Despite these harms, Max chose not to be bitter. He embraced his autism and became an advocate for himself and for other children on the spectrum. When words were difficult to come by, Max would use art to communicate his feelings to his mother. He now uses art and essays as a tool to educate others about what it is like to have autism. An aspiring artist, his art has been displayed at the Denver Art Museum and 40 West Gallery. His art show, Insight into the Autistic Mind, is on constant display as part of Max’s in-services for groups interested in autism. He was profiled in the local media for his advocacy. Max has his own Facebook page for his art show and at present has 200 likes and growing. Max lives in Denver, Colorado with his mom and dad and four cats. He has a love of skateboarding, his PS3, writing, art and music. He wants to be a DJ and play in a jazz band when he grows up.

Download or read book The Reason I Jump written by Naoki Higashida and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2016-03-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Wall Street Journal • Bloomberg Business • Bookish FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared. Praise for The Reason I Jump “This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.”—Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice) “Amazing times a million.”—Whoopi Goldberg, People “The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.”—Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.) “Extraordinary, moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.”—The Boston Globe “Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.”—Parade

Download or read book Autism How It s Made written by Ogi Ogas and published by Rorschach Arts. This book was released on 2023-09-09 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autism: How It's Made narrates the remarkable true story of an autistic boy who became obsessed with figuring out how autism works—and how to live a joyful and productive life with the dark gift. Ogi Ogas rejected the conventional academic and medical models of autism, which did not match the daily inner experience of autism. Dr. Ogas became a mathematical neuroscientist to pursue his own ideas about how autism changed the dynamics of thought in surprising ways—and to show how it’s possible to guide and reshape one’s autistic thoughts to experience insight, peace, and deeper connection with others. Autism: How It’s Made is a fascinating fast-paced memoir that shows how autism can unlock a whole new universe of experience for those willing to embrace their dark gift. THIS BOOK IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS: the author uploads new chapters as they are completed, one a week on average. You will receive ALL FUTURE CHAPTERS—the complete book—for the price you pay now. As new chapters are uploaded, the price will go up. Google Play will automatically incorporate new chapters into your ebook as they are uploaded, or you can find all the up-to-the-minute details on https://www.ogiogas.com/faq.

Download or read book Being Seen written by Anlor Davin and published by Bookbaby. This book was released on 2016-05-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Being Seen is a memoir about a woman with autism struggling not only to be seen, but to be understood and respected. Anlor Davin grew up in a small town on the Western coast of France. From earliest childhood she was beset by overwhelming sensory chaos and had trouble navigating the social world. Only many years later did she learn that she was autistic. Throughout childhood, Anlor struggled to hold her world together and in many ways succeeded: she became an accomplished young tennis player, competing even at the level of the French Open. However, in addition to her autism a dark history hung over her family--a history that she did not fully understand for years to come. Without yet having a name for her world-shattering condition, Anlor headed to a new life in America. But she now had to contend with the raw basics of survival in a new culture, speaking a new language, and without support from her family. Through incredible effort, Anlor was able to parlay her knowledge of the French language into a job teaching in the notorious South Side neighborhood of Chicago, one of America's most violent. Anlor married, had a child, and even dreamed that she might be able to pass as a neurotypical person. The grim toll of daily compensating for her autism and "pretending to be normal" proved too great a challenge and Anlor's life imploded. She spiraled downward into a kind of hell, losing her marriage and her beloved son. Desperate, Anlor moved west to California, where she found a mysterious and ancient tradition of spiritual practice from the Far East--zen. Through this profound meditation and community she was able to slowly rebuild her life, this time with honest acceptance of the challenge she faced. The path took her through extreme emotional and physical duress but--at last--led to proper medical diagnosis and treatment of her autism. Today, Anlor works to help people understand her way of being, and the value of basic meditative practice in living and thriving with autism.

Download or read book Look Me in the Eye written by John Elder Robison and published by Random House. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the time he was three or four years old, John Elder Robison realised that he was different from other people. He was unable to make eye contact or connect with other children, and by the time he was a teenager his odd habits - an inclination to blurt out non-sequiturs, obsessively dismantle radios or dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them) - had earned him the label 'social deviant'. It didn't help that his mother conversed with light fixtures and his father spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. Look Me in the Eye is his story of growing up with Asperger's syndrome – a form of autism – at a time when the diagnosis simply didn't exist. Along the way it also tells the story of two brothers born eight years apart yet devoted to each other: the author and his younger brother Chris, who would grow up to become bestselling author Augusten Burroughs. This book is a rare fusion of inspiration, dark comedy and insight into the workings of the human mind. For someone who has struggled all his life to connect with other people, Robison proves to be an extraordinary storyteller.

Download or read book Do You Understand Me written by Sofie Koborg Brøsen and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2006 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illustrated book has is an insider's view of life as a child with autism attending a mainstream school and will be an invaluable resource in helping other children to understand their classmates with autism spectrum disorders. Readers will find this an entertaining, informative and attitude-changing read.

Download or read book I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder written by Sarah Kurchak and published by Douglas & McIntyre. This book was released on 2020-04-02 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sarah Kurchak is autistic. She hasn’t let that get in the way of pursuing her dream to become a writer, or to find love, but she has let it get in the way of being in the same room with someone chewing food loudly, and of cleaning her bathroom sink. In I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder, Kurchak examines the Byzantine steps she took to become “an autistic success story,” how the process almost ruined her life and how she is now trying to recover. Growing up undiagnosed in small-town Ontario in the eighties and nineties, Kurchak realized early that she was somehow different from her peers. She discovered an effective strategy to fend off bullying: she consciously altered nearly everything about herself—from her personality to her body language. She forced herself to wear the denim jeans that felt like being enclosed in a sandpaper iron maiden. Every day, she dragged herself through the door with an elevated pulse and a churning stomach, nearly crumbling under the effort of the performance. By the time she was finally diagnosed with autism at twenty-seven, she struggled with depression and anxiety largely caused by the same strategy she had mastered precisely. She came to wonder, were all those years of intensely pretending to be someone else really worth it? Tackling everything from autism parenting culture to love, sex, alcohol, obsessions and professional pillow fighting, Kurchak’s enlightening memoir challenges stereotypes and preconceptions about autism and considers what might really make the lives of autistic people healthier, happier and more fulfilling.

Download or read book Be Different written by John Elder Robison and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2012-03-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Be Different, New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye shares a new batch of endearing stories about his childhood, adolescence, and young adult years, giving the reader a rare window into the Autistic mind. In his bestselling memoir, Look Me in the Eye, John Elder Robison described growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a time when the diagnosis didn’t exist. He was intelligent but socially isolated; his talents won him jobs with toy makers and rock bands but did little to endear him to authority figures and classmates, who were put off by his inclination to blurt out non sequiturs and avoid eye contact. By the time he was diagnosed at age forty, John had already developed a myriad of coping strategies that helped him achieve a seemingly normal, even highly successful, life. In each story, he offers practical advice for anyone who feels “different” on how to improve the weak communication and social skills that keep so many people from taking full advantage of their often remarkable gifts. With his trademark honesty and unapologetic eccentricity, Robison addresses questions like: • How to read others and follow their behaviors when in uncertain social situations • Why manners matter • How to harness your powers of concentration to master difficult skills • How to deal with bullies • When to make an effort to fit in, and when to embrace eccentricity • How to identify special gifts and use them to your advantage Every person has something unique to offer the world, and every person has the capacity to create strong, loving bonds with their friends and family. Be Different will help readers and those they love find their path to success.

Download or read book I Dream He Talks to Me written by Allison Moorer and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Allison’s son, John Henry, stopped using his growing vocabulary just before his second birthday, she knew in her bones that something was shifting. In the years since his autism diagnosis, Allison and John Henry have embarked on an intense journey filled with the adventure, joy, heartbreak, confusion, and powerful love lessons that are the hallmarks of a quest for understanding. In I Dream He Talks to Me, Allison details the meltdowns and the moments of grace, and how the mundane expectations of a parent turn into extraordinary achievements. The saying goes, “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism”; no two stories are alike, and yet there are universal truths that apply to all parent-child relationships. With gorgeous prose, Allison shares her and John Henry’s experience while also creating a riveting narrative that will speak to anyone who parents—and who has questioned their own ability to do so. An exploration of resilience and compassion—both for ourselves and for others—I Dream He Talks to Me is also a moving meditation on our place in the world and how we get there; what words mean, what they don’t; and, ultimately, how we truly express ourselves and truly know those whom we love.

Download or read book The Autistic Mind Finally Speaks written by Gregory Tino and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After twenty four years of living in silence, Gregory Tino, a young man with non-speaking autism learns to communicate using a letterboard. By discovering his voice, Gregory teaches us about the disorder of autism from the inside out. He dispels some of the current beliefs of autism, explains the reasons behind many of its common behaviors, and teaches us how we can best handle the challenges of autism. This book is a compilation of his thoughts, experiences, teachings and poetry and is illustrated by his autistic peers. After years of being viewed as having the intellect of a toddler, Gregory has become an exceptionally poignant and eloquent self-taught writer. This book will make its readers laugh, cry, and most importantly change their perception of the misunderstood disorder of autism.

Download or read book Thinking in Pictures written by Temple Grandin and published by Doubleday Books. This book was released on 1995 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The captivating subject of Oliver Sack's "Anthropologist on Mars, here is Temple Grandin's personal account of living with autism extraordinary gift of animal empathy has transformed her world and ours. Temple Grandin is renowned throughout the world as a designer of livestock holding equipment. Her unique empathy for animals has her to create systems which are humane and cruel free, setting the highest standards for the industry the treatment and handling of animals. She also happens to be autistic. Here, in Temple Grandin's own words, is the story what it is like to live with autism. Temple is among the few people who have broken through many the neurological impairments associated with autism. Throughout her life, she has developed unique coping strategies, including her famous "squeeze machine," modeled after seeing the calming effect squeeze chutes on cattle. She describes her pain isolation growing up "different" and her discovery visual symbols to interpret the "ways of the natives" "Thinking in Pictures also gives information from the frontlines of autism, including treatme medication, and diagnosis, as well as Temple's insight into genius, savants, sensory phenomena, etc. Ultimately, it is Temple's unique ability describe the way her visual mind works and how she first made the connection between her impairment and animal temperament that is the basis of extraordinary gift and phenomenal success.

Download or read book Nothing about This Is Easy and Here Is Why written by Mari Stein and published by Bookbaby. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Nothing About This is Easy and Here is Why" is a short book that has taken a lifetime to write. It is filled with little stories from Mari Stein's "Autistic Brain." When she was a child there was no diagnosis for her, and her parents would not have spent the money on testing even if there was. This memoir is a testament to a misunderstood life and will help others recognize that they are not alone. Stories written from as early as 1985 chronicle the workings of an Autistic mind. For many people with Autism loneliness is a daily struggle, this book will help them remember that there are millions of people just like them.

Download or read book Make a Wish for Me written by LeeAndra Chergey and published by She Writes Press. This book was released on 2015-11-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indie Reader Discovery Awards Winner for Parenting National Indie Excellence Award Finalist Hollywood Book Festival 2016 Honorable mention in general non-fiction Bookvana 2016 Finalist in Parenting/Family Bronze Medal Winner Inspirational Memoir-Female Living Now Book Awards-Books for Better Living When LeeAndra Chergey is told that her son, Ryan, is no longer considered “normal,” she and her family are forced into a new way of handling the outside world. Together, Chergey’s family and a team of carefully chosen therapists put in years of hard work, and eventually teach Ryan to speak and express emotions. Through it all, Chergey follows her heart—and in the process, she learns that being “normal” is not nearly as important as providing your child with a life full of joy, love, and acceptance. Tender and candid, Make A Wish For Me is a story of accepting and tackling a disability stigmatized and misunderstood by society.

Download or read book Expect A Miracle written by David Petrovic and published by Aapc Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-17 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Powerful and motivating, this story inspires you to do whatever you can to live the life you want- no matter what others expect or think. Told from the unique separate viewpoints of a young man with high-functioning autism (David), and his mother (Sandy), you will be pulled into this story and filled with admiration and respect for both individuals. Reading from Sandy's perspective- the love, determination, pain, protectiveness, and anticipation can be felt through the pages as you are transported along with her as she watches David grow up. Sandy perhaps gives her son the best gift that a parent can give- her belief in him and his ability to succeed. Nothing deters Sandy from her mission: to provide David with whatever he needs to have a fulfilling life, the same thing every parent wants for their own child. She does everything in her power to help David fly alone- and fly he does! David's perspective brings us into the heart of his deepest feelings: fears about fitting in, becoming his own person, and growing up and embracing the important things in life. Extremely relatable, his voice feels like a familiar companion to your own innermost thoughts and sentiments. David will struggle, fail, and try again as many times as it takes for him to accomplish his dreams. David's openness about his failures is humbling. His perseverance is inspirational. And his easy-going and forgiving personality will encourage the understanding and acceptance of others' differences. An amazing person, it's impossible not to connect with and root for David as you follow him along his journeys through life. Filled with important tips and lessons learned, this book guides the reader through every challenge and solution found along the way. Expect A Miracle will be cherished by anyone who is on the autism spectrum, their family and friends, as well as anyone who feels alone, misunderstood, or is looking for the courage to live a life of their own making. In addition, beyond their training, educators, and professionals working with clients on the autism spectrum will find Sandy and David's personal insights invaluable in understanding how to meet their challenges. Employers and coworkers will likewise appreciate this guiding information and compelling story.

Download or read book Optimism for Autism written by Susan King and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-03-21 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an Amazon Best SellerHow does a boy the doctors say is “mentally retarded” graduate high school with honors and earn academic scholarships to attend college?How does a boy who doctors say may never speak become a powerful vocalist and gifted public speaker who brings audiences to tears?How does a boy who cannot tie his shoes until he is 13 years old emerge as a swimming champion who receives an athletic scholarship to swim in college?Only by the grace and power of God.Learn from this inspirational story how you, too, can:• Not just survive but actually thrive in the midst of life's ongoing challenges• Break the cycle of discouragement and depression and learn how to find peace and strength in your struggles• Stop agonizing over what could have been and embrace God's plan for you and those you love• Replace the fear of failure with the truth that you can live in victory in the midst of adversityPatrick offers powerful insights into the autistic mind, and he and Susan hold out hope to anyone facing severe challenges.—Beth, certified special needs teacher...tears were shed while reading this book. I loved it!....this book has given me lots of hope. -Kelly, mother of an autistic child