''Like Colour To The Blind'' (1996) is the third in a series of four autobiographical works by internationally bestselling

autistic 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 ...

author

Donna Williams Donna Leanne Williams, also known by her married name Donna Leanne Samuel (born Donna Keene; 12 October 1963 – 22 April 2017), was an Australian writer, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, and sculptor. In 1965, aged two, Williams was a ...

. Once published in the US using the American spelling 'color', it is now published worldwide by

Jessica Kingsley Publishers Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is an independent, multinational publishing house headquartered in London, and founded in 1987 by Jessica Kingsley. History Early on JKP published books pertaining to the social sciences and behavioural scien ...

using the UK spelling 'colour'. It has been published in several languages worldwide. ''Like Colour To The Blind'' covers Williams' relationship and 'accidental marriage' to 'Ian', a man on the autistic spectrum as she exorcises the vast array of stored behaviours, responses, actions and phrases from her repertoire to discover what is left that is 'self'. The pair also develop a system called 'checking' which they use to tap into true wants and likes, as the only means of differentiating these from stored or learned responses. The book relates Williams' diagnosis with

scotopic sensitivity syndrome Irlen syndrome, occasionally referred to as scotopic sensitivity syndrome (SSS) or Meares–Irlen syndrome, is a postulated disorder of vision or image-processing in the brain. Irlen syndrome is also sometimes referred to as asfedia or visual ...

, and her experience with tinted lenses on her visual perceptual disorders including visual fragmentation, context blindness, face blindness, and loss of depth perception. This led to a wide social awakening to visual perceptual disorders in people on the autistic spectrum.''The Irlen Method''
Kyle's Treehouse. Kyle Westphal Foundation. Williams also writes about facilitated communication, covering the story of 'Alex' and quoting his first letters, as he develops communication for the first time through assisted typing, enabling his movement from special education towards a future as a college graduate.

References

External links

Donna Williams' website
1996 books Psychology-related autobiographies Books about autism Australian autobiographies {{autism-book-stub Books about autistic women Doubleday (publisher) books Jessica Kingsley Publishers books