<p>Years ago there was a book about a child (boy, I think) who was, I believe, autistic. But it wasn’t really much known about then and they didn’t recognize what was the problem. The book talks about how they began to communicate and determine what was wrong. I can’t remember the name, but I remember reading it in the mid-seventies, and it seems to me that it was populer then. S is interested in psychology and we were discussing autism at dinner. Thought he might find the book interesting.</p>
<p>Search on Amazon has not helped. I know someone here will know.</p>
<p>Kaufman also has a book “Happiness is a Choice”. I think that was the modern precursor to the Harvard class on Happiness that is so popular, though the idea can be traced back to other
philosophies and religions.</p>
<p>So much of the research & procedure is relatively new, for instance the use of brain scans, that i think more recent books would be more timely, than one using theories of 40 yrs ago.</p>
<p>Ive found the books of Temple Grandin to be especially insightful.</p>
<p>Maybe Dibs: in Search of Self:
Personality Development in Play Therapy
Front Cover
Virginia Mae Axline
146 Reviews
Random House Digital, Inc., 1964 - 186 pages
The classic of child therapy. Dibs will not talk. He will not play. He has locked himself in a very special prison. And he is alone. This is the true story of how he learned to reach out for the sunshine, for life . . . how he came to the breathless discovery of himself that brought him back to the world of other children.</p>
<p>I thought of this one too. It was about a young boy and was actually required reading for anyone majoring in special education or a related field in the late 60s early 70s.</p>
<p>I think MomOf3 might be right. The earliest publication date I could find was 1965, which would be consistent with my recollection that it was very popular in the 70’s. </p>
<p>This board is great in that there are so many people with knowledge about so many things! Thanks MomOf3 :)</p>
<p>Not the book you’re looking for, but a young adult novel called The Silent Boy comes to mind. I found it “disturbing,” however, it does give a little historical perspective (setting is early 20th century) on how “different” people were treated not so long ago. It could be an interesting book to discuss with your son–depending on his age. (I wouldn’t recommend it for younger than 7th grade.) It is easy to read and under 200 pages.</p>
<p>If Dibs was in fact real, and not fictional, then Dibs was not autistic. Autism isn’t caused by mothers, and it isn’t cured by psychotherapy. When children with autism make dramatic gains, it doesn’t happen in the way it was described in the book. </p>
<p>It’s a beautiful book, but it’s not a book about Autism, and needs to be read in the context of an era that was incredibly harsh and judgmental towards the mothers of children with either emotional or developmental disabilities.</p>
<p>If your son reads some of these early books, he should understand that autism diagnoses and treatments have evolved drastically over the past 30 years. He should look into Bernard Rimland’s early work in CA. Autism is a huge spectrum disorder; much has been discovered, but there is still SO much to learn. Many books by parents are anecdotal in nature. What works for one may not work for others.</p>
<p>An autism bumper sticker: If you’ve seen one child with autism, you’ve seen one child with autism. The variations between kids are extreme.</p>
<p>Absolutely! While Dibs is a beautiful story, it was used as evidence of a theory that was incredibly damaging to so many families. It needs to be read from that perspective, and should be balanced with other stories and other perspectives.</p>
<p>The way I look at it, there are 2 possible truths about Dibs. One is that the author took lots of liberties, and the story didn’t happen the way she tells it. The other is that Dibs had an emotional issue that wan’t autism. Of course, the truth could be somewhere in the middle.</p>