''NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity'' is a book by

Steve Silberman Steve Silberman is an American writer for ''Wired (magazine), Wired'' magazine and has been an editor and contributor there for 14 years. In 2010, Silberman was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS "Kavli Science ...

that discusses

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and

neurodiversity Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept alo ...

from historic, scientific, and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

-based perspectives. ''Neurotribes'' was awarded the

Samuel Johnson Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its m ...

in 2015,Anders, Charlie Jane
Why do we want autistic kids to have superpowers?
''

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

'', January 25, 2012. Accessed 10-18-2013Pan, Deanna
The Media's Post-Newtown Autism Fail
''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'', December 22, 2012. Accessed 10-18-2013 and has received wide acclaim from both the scientific and the popular press. It was named to a number of "best books of 2015" lists, including ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''.

Reactions

In ''The New York Times Book Review'', Jennifer Senior wrote that the book was "beautifully told, humanizing, important"; ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called it "as emotionally resonant as any

ook Ook, OoK or OOK may refer to: * Ook Chung (born 1963), Korean-Canadian writer from Quebec * On-off keying, in radio technology * Toksook Bay Airport (IATA code OOK), in Alaska * Ook!, an esoteric programming language based on Brainfuck * Ook, th ...

this year"; and in ''Science'', the cognitive neuroscientist

Francesca Happé Francesca Gabrielle Elizabeth Happé (born 1967) is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Director of the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College Lon ...

wrote, "It is a beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted book, a historical tour of autism, richly populated with fascinating and engaging characters, and a rallying call to respect difference." It was named one of the best books of 2015 by ''The New York Times'', ''The Economist'', ''Financial Times'', and ''The Guardian''. By contrast, Lisa Conlan criticized Silberman's

retrospective diagnosis A retrospective diagnosis (also retrodiagnosis or posthumous diagnosis) is the practice of identifying an illness after the death of the patient (sometimes in a historical figure) using modern knowledge, methods and disease classifications. Altern ...

of historical figures and argued that his portrayal of

is based in

identity politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...

. James Harris of

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

criticized ''NeuroTribes'' as a book that pushes an agenda, saying that Silberman misrepresented

Leo Kanner Leo Kanner (; born Chaskel Leib Kanner; June 13, 1894 – April 3, 1981) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, physician, and social activist best known for his work related to autism spectrum disorder. Before working at the Henry Phipps Psychi ...

as somebody that had a negative view towards persons with autism and their parents, rather than, as Harris argued, an advocate for individualized treatment for every child. In 2017,

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

acquired the rights to ''NeuroTribes'' and announced interest in making the book into a movie with

Broadway Video Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series ''Saturday Night Live'' and producer of other television programs and movies. Broadway Video also held the rights to ...

Awards and honors

*2015

*2015 Books for a Better Life Psychology Award, Southern New York National Multiple Sclerosis Society *2016 Health Book of the Year,

Medical Journalists' Association The Medical Journalists' Association (abbreviated MJA) is a professional association for medical journalists in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1967 and held its first meeting on 1 February of that year in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a fa ...

*2016 Silver Medal, Nonfiction, California Book Awards *2016 Erikson Institute Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media *2016 ARC Catalyst Awards Author of the Year

References

External links

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
{{Autism resources 2015 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books about autism Avery Publishing books

Reactions

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links