Steve Silberman is an American writer for ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' magazine and has been an editor and contributor there for 14 years. In 2010, Silberman was awarded the AAAS "Kavli Science Journalism Award for Magazine Writing." His featured article "The Placebo Problem" discussed the impact of

placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

s on the

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

industry. Silberman's 2015 book ''

Neurotribes ''NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity'' is a book by Steve Silberman that discusses autism and neurodiversity from historic, scientific, and advocacy-based perspectives. ''Neurotribes'' was awarded the Samuel Johnso ...

'', which discusses the

autism rights 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 ...

movements, 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 ...

.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 Additionally, Silberman's ''Wired'' article "The Geek Syndrome", which focused on

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 ...

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

, has been referenced by many sources and has been described as a culturally significant article for the autism community.Shepard, Neil Patrick
Rewiring Difference and Disability: Narratives of Asperger's Syndrome in the Twenty-First Century
2010, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD),

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

, American Culture Studies/Ethnic Studies. Accessed 10-18-2013 Silberman's Twitter account made ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine's list of the best Twitter feeds for the year 2011.Melnick, Meredith
The 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2011
''

'', March 28, 2011. Accessed 10-18-2013

Personal life

Silberman studied psychology at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Oberlin, Ohio, then received a master's degree in English literature from

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, where his thesis advisor was

Thom Gunn Thomson William "Thom" Gunn (29 August 1929 – 25 April 2004) was an English poet who was praised for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement, and his later poetry in America, even after moving towards a looser, ...

. Silberman moved to San Francisco in 1979, drawn by three factors: so that he could live "a gay life without fear"; because of the music of

Crosby, Stills and Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...

, the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, and others; and so he could be near the

San Francisco Zen Center San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC), is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. Th ...

. He was friends with the musician

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

with whom he hosted a podcast. Silberman studied with

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

Naropa University Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university describes itself as B ...

in 1977. After Silberman interviewed Ginsberg for ''

Whole Earth Review ''Whole Earth Review'' (''Whole Earth'' after 1997) was a magazine which was founded in January 1985 after the merger of the '' Whole Earth Software Review'' (a supplement to the ''Whole Earth Software Catalog'') and the ''CoEvolution Quarterly ...

'' in 1987 the two became friends and Ginsberg invited Silberman to be his teaching assistant the next term at Naropa University. The

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

is a regular subject in Silberman's writings. Silberman lives with his husband Keith, a high-school science teacher, to whom he has been married since 2003.

''NeuroTribes''

Silberman's 2015 book ''

NeuroTribes ''NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity'' is a book by Steve Silberman that discusses autism and neurodiversity from historic, scientific, and advocacy-based perspectives. ''Neurotribes'' was awarded the Samuel Johnso ...

'' documents the origins and history of autism from a

viewpoint. The book has received mostly positive reviews from both scientific and popular media. In a review published in

Science-Based Medicine ''Science-Based Medicine'' is a website and blog with articles covering issues in science and medicine, especially medical scams and practices. Founded in 2008, it is owned and operated by the New England Skeptical Society and run by Steven N ...

Harriet Hall, MD also known as The SkepDoc described Neurotribes as "the most complete history of autism I have seen" and recommends it as "a welcome ray of clarity, sanity, and optimism". In ''The New York Times Book Review'', Jennifer Senior wrote that the book was "beautifully told, humanizing, important"; the ''Boston Globe'' 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'', ''The Guardian'', and many other outlets. Some other reviews were less positive, for example 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 who had a negative view towards autistics and their parents, rather than, as Harris argued, an advocate for individualized treatment for every child. Silberman has stated that a key point from the book is to recognize the need for accommodating autism as a significant disability in the same way that society accommodates people in wheelchairs.

Awards

*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

Publications

* *

Film appearances

* 2017

documentary ''

Long Strange Trip ''Long Strange Trip'' is a 2017 American documentary film about the rock band the Grateful Dead. It premiered on January 23, 2017, at the Sundance Film Festival. It had a one-night only nationwide screening on May 25, 2017, and a week-long limite ...

References

External links

NeuroTribes blog
at Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Steve Silberman's personal webpage

Steve Silberman on twitter
* *
"The forgotten history of autism" (TED2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverman, Steve American Buddhists American science writers Autism activists American gay writers Jewish American writers LGBT Buddhists LGBT Jews Living people Oberlin College alumni Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area Year of birth missing (living people) American health activists 21st-century American Buddhists