Pretty Greene Leaves 🌿 reviewed Uniquely Human by Barry M. Prizant
A solid if slightly outdated introduction to best practice in parenting autistic kids
4 stars
The book was originally published in 2015, which means it is a solid decade of intense discussion out of date. I think the shift from "person with autism" to "autistic person" had only just begun, and though the author acknowledges it, he still chooses the more outdated language. In fact, his explanation for why "autistic person" makes sense was much better articulated than his explanation for why he used "person with autism". To me, it read as a mind in the process of changing.
If you read this book and follow what it says, I think you will be on the right track. There are some nuances, such as the credence given for Asperger's as a diangosis which read as particularly dated, and I suspect a few of the people (particularly those that advocate for "Asperger's") that he promotes might have since drifted in more problematic directions. If you follow …
The book was originally published in 2015, which means it is a solid decade of intense discussion out of date. I think the shift from "person with autism" to "autistic person" had only just begun, and though the author acknowledges it, he still chooses the more outdated language. In fact, his explanation for why "autistic person" makes sense was much better articulated than his explanation for why he used "person with autism". To me, it read as a mind in the process of changing.
If you read this book and follow what it says, I think you will be on the right track. There are some nuances, such as the credence given for Asperger's as a diangosis which read as particularly dated, and I suspect a few of the people (particularly those that advocate for "Asperger's") that he promotes might have since drifted in more problematic directions. If you follow the right detour you might find yourself in Aspie Supremacy, but as long as you avoid that, I think this book has few pitfalls.
I also think, lastly, that this book is written primarily to parents, less to other caregivers. In particular, he avoids criticizing parents, not touching the question of parents that don't have the "it" factor, as he discusses at length for caregivers and other service providers. In light of this book being intended for parents, that makes sense: he doesn't want to alienate his readers. Given the value of what he has to share, I can accept that. But for those out there that are not parents, just know that the entire discussion of people that get "it" most definitely also applies to some parents of autistic kids.