http://www.amazon.com/NeuroTribes-Legacy-Autism-Future-Neurodiversity/dp/158333467X%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXORMQMQBISBPIPQ%26tag%3Dnpr-5-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D158333467X

Anyone else reading this? I'm about 1/2 through and it is fairly informative. Definitely confirms that my 12yo son is ASD. Also discusses the growing movement for accommodation.

No, but I'm in! Maybe we can have a book discussion here.

Thanks for sharing. I'm new to all of this and am trying to explain to DS (newly dxed) that a lot of people do not think ASD is a disorder, but a unique and valuable profile. So any information in that vein is much appreciated.

Sounds good. A good part of what I've read so far is about the "discovery" of autism in the 1930's in Vienna, and what the Nazis did to those kids. Difficult reading for sure.

I tend to describe ASD to my kid as granting super-human abilities that are tied to behaviors that many people find odd. But with these abilities an ASD person can make observations and draw conclusions that most people cannot.

I would be careful about making it too rosy. I feel strongly that kids with ASD should understand that it *is* a disability so that they will be willing and able to access services if they need them down the road.

Our household discussion has settled on "it's sometimes a disability when it's in my way and I make social mistakes, and it's sometimes an asset when it means I can understand data the way no one else can."

Eco, Landon Bryce's blog and John Elder Robison's writings (books and blog) have been useful for us in cultivating perspective about having ASD.

We started with Bryce's book "I love being my own autistic self" when DS was maybe 7 or so; it was startlingly powerful, even though very simple. Probably too young for your DS, but still a great tool for the younger set.

I am particularly fond of Robison's "Be Different," which DS also enjoyed, I think in 6th grade or so.

This is a complex and highly nuanced topic for discussion and contemplation. I would agree that it is typically presented in an overly conformist way, but also that it is important for individuals on the autistic spectrum to recognize the ways in which their profiles can become a hindrance to happy, healthy, independent function in this world. Just as communities should learn to understand and accommodate those with ASD, individuals with ASD also benefit from learning to understand and adapt to the NT majority. Especially as the traits of ASD are not all hardwired; many of them are malleable to skills training, parenting, and natural consequences. (Not saying that ASD can be "cured", but that the nature and extent of every ASD-associated behavior is not a given.)

One can loosely compare this to multilingual/multicultural individuals learning to code-switch. The capacity to do so does not necessarily mean one is demeaning or betraying the first language/culture by using the second; it is an aide to communication and relationships with a wider range of people, that are personally satisfying and pragmatically effective. Continuing the analogy, those who master code-switching tend to have fewer obstacles to attaining their personal goals, when interacting with the majority culture.

So far, the only book DS is interested in is All Cats Have Asperger's.

I'm not sure of my thoughts on this subject, yet. I am very annoyed by the "no empathy" meme; seems to me that's a two-way street.

I wouldn't have chosen this for DS, but there are some pretty great qualities with it. I look forward to learning more.

Yeah, that's a pretty tidy way to misunderstand and dehumanize people, saying they have no empathy. Autistic bloggers have torn this theme (and Baron-Cohen's research that connects autism to sociopathy) to shreds.

We have exposed DS to as little of THAT as possible...

I think this misunderstanding also tends to prevent early identification--at least in our case, it played a role. Even though the DSM doesn't use the word "empathy," it's an urban legend. So when a parent (me, for instance) has a concern, and that particular piece doesn't fit at all, it leads to a lot of doubt.

My DS has an abundance of feeling for those in pain. He was unable to watch movies or read stories with themes of loss, when he was younger, because he would fall apart, cry and perseverate about them for days. I think he actively avoids emotionally painful topics--but not because he doesn't care, it's more that he cares too much and lacks coping skills.

He does struggle to communicate and he has difficulty understanding social expectations, but empathy is clearly not a deficit.

(Sorry if this is a hijack.)

I feel strongly that acceptance is an important part of this diagnosis--both the strengths and the challenges. My DS has a really agile, beautiful mind (as I'm sure all of our DC do). I don't want him to see himself as defective.