Donna Williams was born in Australia in 1963. She was assessed at age two as psychotic, labelled disturbed and tested for deafness throughout childhood before being diagnosed as autistic in 1990. Today she is an internationally best-selling author with nine published books, an artist, singer-songwriter and emerging screenwriter. One of the most well-known people with autism in the world, Donna is a renowned international public speaker, a qualified teacher and has worked as an autism consultant since 1995.
A bucket full of jigsaws; what is this thing called ''autism''?; a brief history of autism; autism and the media; from stereotypes to facts; tackling the bogeyman of ''autism''; some faces of ''autism''; misplacement; the mixed bag found in one classroom; working with ''autism''; the straws on the camel's back; problems of connection; what can be done; adaptations and compensations; artificial limbs; ''hyper connection''; problems of tolerance; problems of control; non-firings, over-firings and mis-firings; communication; sleepwalker-sleeptalkers; savant skills; personality; Asperger's syndrome?; seeing ''systems''; education.
Autism: An Inside-Out Approach is an insightful look at autism that goes beyond symptoms and behaviors. This book is written by an eloquent author who lives with autism every day. Donna Williams suggests both detailed theory and practical day-to-day strategies for addressing specific challenges of individuals who, like her, have some type of autism or Asperger syndrome. Williams uses her initial chapters to tell her story and to set up her general theory Autism: An Inside-Out Approach is a must read for all professionals and care-givers in the field of autism. It is thought provoking and dense with practical real-world suggestions and strategies. Readers must be cautious, however, because Williams' theories are the personal beliefs of an individual with autism, based on her own unique life experiences. She offers little scientific support for her ideas, and yet many will ring true with anyone who knows individuals with these characteristics. Many scientific studies have come and gone over the years, without having a significant impact on the type of support that is given to persons who have autism. Not just despite its subjectivity and personal nature, but because of it, this articulate approach by someone who has lived with autism may affect the ways in which professionals approach autism for years to come.
