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Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism Kindle Edition

by Barry M. Prizant (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Winner of the Autism Society of America’s Dr. Temple Grandin Award for the Outstanding Literary Work in Autism

A groundbreaking book on autism, by one of the world’s leading experts, who portrays autism as a unique way of being human—this is “required reading...Breathtakingly simple and profoundly positive” (Chicago Tribune).

Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, communication problems, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now, this updated and expanded edition of Dr. Barry M. Prizant’s Uniquely Human tackles new language such as shifting from “person-first language” to “identity-first language,” diversity of identity in the autism sphere, and the future of autistic advocacy by amplifying the voices of autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

“A must-read for anyone touched by autism…Dr. Prizant’s Uniquely Human is a crucial step in promoting better understanding and a more humane approach” (Associated Press). Instead of classifying “autistic” behaviors as signs of pathology, Dr. Prizant sees them as part of a range of strategies to cope with a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming. Rather than curb these behaviors, it’s better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports that will lead to more desirable behavior and a better quality of life.

Uniquely Human is a “brilliant” (Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes) approach to autism in the modern age that provides “common sense [and] practical advice” (Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain) drawn from Dr. Prizant’s four-decade career. It conveys a deep respect for people with autism and their own unique qualities. Filled with humanity and wisdom, Uniquely Human “should reassure parents and caregivers of kids with autism and any other disability that their kids are not broken, but, indeed, special (Booklist, starred review).

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August 4, 2015
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Uniquely Human is brilliant. A revolution.”--Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes

"Uniquely Human is not just the perfect title for Barry Prizant's book, it's also an appropriate summation of Dr. Prizant's career. Though a clinical scholar, he is a humanist first, and always has been—a professional who is fascinated by unexamined lives that could be lived happily, yet aren't. With every brilliant, illuminating example in his book, he steers us away from the traditional fix-it mentality and towards the beatific, personally rewarding detective work that the entire spectrum world would be well served to adopt. Thanks be to Barry for the first-ever ‘must read’ written for parents, educators, and clinicians." --Michael John Carley, Founder, GRASP; Author of Asperger's From the Inside-Out

"Refreshing--and constructive.... It should be required reading for all educators and practitioners working with autism....Breathtakingly simple and profoundly positive."--Chicago Tribune

"A remarkable approach to autism....A truly impactful, necessary book."--Kirkus *starred review*

About the Author

Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities and as an innovator of respectful, person- and family-centered approaches for individuals on the autism spectrum and with neurodevelopmental conditions. Dr. Prizant specializes in communication disorders and child and human development, and is a visiting scholar at Brown University. He has fifty years of experience as an international consultant, clinical scholar, and researcher. He is coauthor of The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach, now being implemented in more than a dozen countries, and widely used clinical assessment instruments. Dr. Prizant has been an invited keynote speaker/presenter in more than twenty-five countries and has published four books, 140+ articles and chapters, and has received many awards for his career improving quality of life for autistic persons and related conditions and their families. He is cohost of Uniquely Human: The Podcast, with autistic engineer, Dave Finch (UniquelyHuman.com).

Tom Fields-Meyer is author of the critically acclaimed memoir Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. The coauthor (with Barry M. Prizant) of Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, and former senior writer for People, he lives in Los Angeles, where he teaches in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Uniquely Human

INTRODUCTION

A Different Way of Seeing Autism

NOT long ago I was meeting with a group of educators at an elementary school when things suddenly got personal. I was there in my role as a school district consultant for programs serving children with special needs, and as the meeting was breaking up, the principal asked to see me privately. I figured that he wanted to discuss a staff issue, but the principal—an intense, serious man—closed the door, pulled his chair close to mine, looked me in the eye, and began telling me about his nine-year-old son.

He described a shy, quirky, and solitary youngster who had grown increasingly remote and isolated, spending much of his time playing video games by himself and rarely mingling with other children his age. Then he got to the point: a psychologist had recently diagnosed the boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The principal leaned forward, putting his face within inches of mine.

“Barry,” he asked, “should I be scared to death?”

It is the sort of question that has become all too familiar to me. Almost every week I meet parents who are intelligent, capable individuals, often confident and accomplished in other realms. But when these mothers and fathers encounter autism, they become disoriented. They lose faith in their own instincts. Facing this unexpected and unfamiliar territory, they feel bewildered, frightened, and lost.

A few years earlier, the person asking was a world-renowned musician. He and his wife had invited me to observe their four-year-old daughter. The girl had not been responding well to intensive autism therapy that required sitting for long periods and responding to directions and commands. Her parents wanted a second opinion about the best approach to helping and supporting her. On my first visit to the family’s sprawling home, the father gestured for me to follow him into another room.

“Can I show you something?” he asked. He reached behind an upholstered chair and grabbed a paper shopping bag, then stuck his hand inside and pulled out a toy. It was a Bumble Ball, a battery-powered, textured rubber toy with a motor inside to make it vibrate when it was switched on. I could see that it had never been removed from its original packaging.

“I bought this for my daughter last Christmas,” he said apprehensively. “Was that a bad thing? I thought she would like it.”

I shrugged. “I can’t see how it could be bad,” I replied.

“Well,” he said, “her therapist told me it would make her more autistic.”

It made no sense: a brilliantly talented celebrity so paralyzed by the words of a thirty-year-old therapist that he was scared to give his own daughter a toy.

For more than four decades it has been my job to help parents like these, people from all walks of life who are struggling with the realization and reality that their children have autism—and to support the educators and various professionals who work with these children. More and more often I meet parents who have been thrown off balance—who suddenly feel perplexed, sad, and anxious about their children, not knowing what an autism diagnosis means for the future of their child and their family.

Their distress and confusion stem partly from information overload. Autism Spectrum Disorder is now among the most commonly diagnosed developmental disabilities; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that it affects as many as one in fifty school-age children. A flood of professionals and programs has emerged to serve these children: physicians, therapists, schools, afterschool programs. There are karate classes and theater programs for children with autism, sports camps and religious schools and yoga classes. At the same time, charlatans and opportunists with minimal or no experience—and even some with professional credentials—advertise their approaches as “breakthroughs.” Unfortunately autism treatment is a largely unregulated enterprise.

All of this has made life even more challenging for parents. Which professional to trust? Who can explain your child? Which treatment will succeed? Which diet? Which therapy? Which medication? Which school? Which tutor?

Like any parents, these mothers and fathers want what’s best for their children. But, struggling with a developmental disability they don’t understand, they don’t know where to turn.

My job for four decades has been to help them transform their desperation into hope, to replace anxiety with knowledge, to turn self-doubt into confidence and comfort, and to help them see as possible what they thought was impossible. I have worked with thousands of families touched by autism, helping them to reframe their experience of the condition, and in turn build healthier, fuller lives. That’s what I hope this book will help you to do, whether you are a parent, a relative, a friend, or a professional working to support these children and their families.

It starts with shifting the way we understand autism. Again and again I have witnessed the same phenomenon: parents come to perceive their child as so radically different from others that the child’s behavior seems beyond comprehension. They have come to believe that the tools and instincts they would bring to raising any other child just won’t work with a child who has autism. Influenced by some professionals, they see certain behaviors as “autistic” and undesirable and perceive their goal as eliminating these behaviors and somehow fixing the child.

I have come to believe that this is a flawed understanding—and the wrong approach. Here is my central message: The behavior of people with autism isn’t random, deviant, or bizarre, as many professionals have called it for decades. These children don’t come from Mars. The things they say aren’t—as many professionals still maintain—meaningless or “nonfunctional.”

Autism isn’t an illness. It’s a different way of being human. Children with autism aren’t sick; they are progressing through developmental stages as we all do.I To help them, we don’t need to change them or fix them. We need to work to understand them, and then change what we do.

In other words, the best way to help a person with autism change for the better is to change ourselves—our attitudes, our behavior, and the types of support we provide.

How to do that? First, by listening. I have worked at the highest levels of academia and served on the faculty of an Ivy League medical school. I have published my work in dozens of scholarly journals and books. I have addressed conferences and presented workshops in nearly every state and across the globe, from China to Israel, from New Zealand to Spain. Yet my most valuable lessons about autism have come not from lectures or journals. They have come from children, their parents, and a handful of extremely articulate adults with the rare ability to explain their own experience of having autism.

One of those is Ros Blackburn, a British woman who speaks more insightfully than practically anyone I know about what it feels like to go through life with autism. Ros often repeats this mantra: “If I do something you don’t understand, you’ve got to keep asking, ‘Why, why, why?’ ”

This book is about what I have learned in forty years of asking why—what I have come to understand by asking what it feels like to have autism.

Concerned parents share the same kinds of questions: Why does he rock his body? Why won’t he stop talking about trains? Why does she repeat lines from movies over and over? Why does he obsessively adjust the miniblinds? Why is he terrified of butterflies? Why does she stare at the ceiling fan?

Some professionals simply categorize these as “autistic behaviors.” Too often the ultimate goal of professionals and parents is to reduce or eliminate these behaviors—to stop the spinning, stop the arm flapping, stop the repeating—without asking, “Why?”

Here is what I have learned from my years in the field and from Ros Blackburn and others: There is no such thing as autistic behavior. These are all human behaviors and human responses based on a person’s experience.

When I present workshops and seminars about autism, I often tell the audience that I have never seen a person with autism do something that I haven’t seen a so-called normal person do. Of course, many people find this difficult to believe. So I make it a challenge. I ask the listeners—usually parents, teachers, and professionals—to name a behavior that is central to autism, and I predict that I have witnessed it in a typical person. Immediately people in the audience raise their hands.

“How about repeating the same phrase over and over one thousand times?”

Plenty of kids do that when they’re asking for an ice cream cone or how much longer the drive will be.

“Talking to yourself when nobody’s around?”

I do that in my car every day.

“Banging her head on the ground when she’s frustrated?”

My neighbor’s “typical” son did that when he was a toddler.

Rocking, talking to yourself, jumping up and down, flapping your arms? We all do these things. The difference, of course, is that you might not have seen it as persistently or as intensely (or at an older age) in a typical person. And if we do engage in such behavior, we generally make sure we’re not doing so in public.

Ros Blackburn says people stare when she jumps up and down and flaps her arms. They’re simply not accustomed to seeing an adult act with such abandon. She points out that it’s common to see people on TV doing just what she does, after they’ve won the lottery or a game show. “The difference,” she says, “is that I get excited more easily than you do.”

We’re all human, and these are human behaviors.

That’s the paradigm shift this book will bring: instead of classifying legitimate, functional behavior as a sign of pathology, we’ll examine it as part of a range of strategies to cope, to adapt, to communicate and deal with a world that feels overwhelming and frightening. Some of the most popular autism therapies make it their sole aim to reduce or eliminate behaviors. I’ll show how it’s better to enhance abilities, teach skills, build coping strategies, and offer supports that will help to prevent behavioral patterns of concern and naturally lead to more desirable behavior.

It’s not helpful to dismiss what children do as “autistic behavior” or “aberrant behavior” or “noncompliant behavior” (a phrase used by many therapists). Instead of dismissing it, it’s better to ask: What is motivating it? What purpose does it serve? Does it actually help the person, even though it looks different?

I don’t have simple answers, but I can offer ways that will lead to a better understanding of children, teens, and adults with autism. The stories in Uniquely Human span my four-decade career in many different settings and roles: my early work in summer camp programs, positions at university and hospital clinics, and seventeen years in private practice. They also describe my experiences consulting for more than one hundred public school districts, for hospitals, private agencies, and families, and from many years of traveling the world leading training workshops and consulting. The weekend parent retreat I have facilitated for two decades has given me the opportunity to learn from parents and develop many deep and enduring friendships. Finally, through many conferences and workshops, I have met and presented with leaders of the autism self-advocacy movement, many of whom have become valued friends.

This book offers a comprehensive approach based on my research and work with colleagues, my experience with families and professionals, and the insights shared by people on the spectrum from whom I have learned much.

It’s the book I wish I had been able to read more than four decades ago, when I first lived with and cared for people with autism. Many professionals enter the autism field because of a personal connection—a child or a relative with autism. I happened into it almost by accident. After my first year of college, I landed an unfulfilling summer job in a New York City print shop. My girlfriend was teaching music at a sleep-away camp for children and adults with disabilities. A couple of weeks into the summer, she phoned to tell me there was an opening for a counselor. I applied, got the job, and literally overnight found myself, at just eighteen, responsible for a cabin full of boys with a variety of developmental disabilities.

For a boy from Brooklyn, the isolated rural setting in upstate New York felt like a primitive wilderness. But I was even more unprepared for the people I met. One eight-year-old boy in my cabin seemed remote and disconnected, but he had a knack for repeating phrases or whole sentences he heard. Another camper, a young adult known affectionately as Uncle Eddie, lumbered and spoke as if in slow motion because of his seizure medication. He had the endearing habit of offering compliments without inhibition. “Hi Barry,” he’d say. “You look sooo handsome todaaay.”

I felt like I was entering a different culture with different rules of relating and being, full of people who acted very differently from anyone I had met. Yet I soon became so comfortable and so thoroughly enjoyed my campers that I wanted to understand more. In particular, why did these people struggle so much with communicating their thoughts and feelings, and how could we help them? That initial experience inspired me to study developmental psycholinguistics, and then speech and language pathology and child development, and eventually to go on to earn a doctorate in communication disorders and sciences.

This book might have also helped me understand one of my closest friends from my childhood in Brooklyn in the 1960s. Lenny was a brilliant student—skipping two grades before high school—and a talented self-taught guitarist. He was a musical genius, stealing guitar licks from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix before the rest of us had even heard of them.

He was one of the most interesting people I knew, and also one of the most anxious, unfiltered, direct, and abrasive. Peers were put off by his frequent comments about his own superior intelligence. When Lenny lived in his own apartment as an adult, his shelves were lined with his extensive collection of records and first-edition comic books, all in plastic sleeves, impeccably organized and catalogued. But his kitchen sink was routinely overflowing with dirty dishes, his clothes strewn everywhere. Lenny had perfect SAT scores, eventually earned two master’s degrees and a law degree, but had a difficult time keeping a job because he had trouble getting along with people.

Still, if Lenny knew you well and trusted you, and if you had common interests, he was as loyal and caring a friend as I have known. Though I frequently found myself in the position of explaining Lenny’s eccentric ways to acquaintances—most people thought him rude and arrogant—it took decades before it dawned on me that he probably had Asperger’s syndrome. (Asperger’s wasn’t a formal diagnosis in the United States until 1994.) When Lenny died in his sixties, it struck me that his life surely would have been easier if those around him had better understood what was causing his unusual habits and often brusque manner.

Finally, this is the book I wish I had been able to share a few decades ago with the parents of Michael, one of the first little boys with autism whose family I came to know well. I was a newly minted PhD, teaching at a large university in the Midwest, and Michael was the nine-year-old son of an English professor. Like many children with autism, Michael had a habit of fluttering his fingers in front of his eyes and staring at them, apparently delighted and captivated. For long stretches he would sit, mesmerized by the movement of his own hands. His teachers and parents routinely badgered Michael to dissuade him: “Michael, put your hands down. . . . Michael, stop looking at your hands!” But he persisted, eventually learning to enjoy secretively peeking at his hands during routine activities such as playing piano.

Around that time Michael’s grandfather died. Michael had developed a very close relationship to his grandfather, spending time with him every weekend, and the death was his first experience of loss. Of course he felt confused and anxious, repeatedly asking his parents when he would be able to see his grandfather again. They explained that Grandpa was in heaven and that some day, in the very distant future, Michael would surely join him there. Michael listened intently, then replied with a single question: “In heaven, are people allowed to look at their hands?”

When Michael considered the idea of eternal bliss, that was what came to mind: not angels and harps and eternal sunshine, but a world where he could watch his own fingers flutter when he wanted to.

His simple question taught me much about Michael and about autism. I have seen hundreds of children with autism who visually fixate on something: their fingers, a toy they carry with them, a fan, garden sprinklers. You could call that “autistic” behavior, or you could watch, listen, pay attention, and ask why they do it. When I have done that I have learned what underlies a fixation like Michael’s: he finds it calming and grounding; it provides a sense of predictability; it’s within his control. With that understanding and insight, behavior like Michael’s isn’t so strange—it’s a unique way of being human.

This book’s scope encompasses the full spectrum of autism, including the most extreme challenges facing individuals of all ages and their families. I am well aware of how debilitating and stressful some patterns of behavior can be. I have cared for individuals who are so overwhelmed by pain or confusion that their behavior becomes dangerous, destructive, and even harmful to themselves and others. I have directly experienced injuries (bites, bruises, scratches, broken fingers) while attempting to support people in extreme states of distress. I have lived with people with autism who also have sleep disorders, and I have experienced the frustration of trying to ensure proper nutrition for individuals with highly restricted food preferences. I have dealt with children who have become lost, have fled, or have unintentionally put themselves and others in danger.

While I don’t claim to have experienced the chronic level of stress and concern that a parent might, I know those concerns and fears intimately. From observing and supporting countless families, I have learned this important lesson: Even under extremely challenging circumstances, our attitudes about and perspective on people with autism and their behavior make a critical difference in their lives—and in ours.

That is the message I hope to share in this book—one that can eliminate the fear I sensed from the principal and the musician and replace it with awe and love. It’s the heart of what I taught recently at an autism workshop in Nanaimo, a small city in British Columbia. Throughout the two days there a young father in a baseball cap sat in the front row with his wife, taking it all in but not speaking. The moment the workshop ended, he rushed up to me, hugged me, and buried his head in my shoulder.

“You have opened my eyes,” he said, “and I will always be grateful.”

I hope this book will open your eyes—and your ears and your heart. I hope to capture and share the unique spirit of the many children, adolescents, and adults with autism I have known—their enthusiasm, their sense of wonder, their honesty and innocence. I will also describe the many obstacles I have seen these individuals and their families overcome. In turn, I hope you will be able to learn from what I have learned. Despite the challenges you may experience as a parent, family member, educator, or one of the many people who help individuals on the spectrum, my hope is that understanding what it means to be uniquely human will make your experience with these distinctive people deeper, more awe-inspiring, and more joyful.

I. While many children with autism experience co-occurring medical issues—including gastrointestinal and sleep disorders, allergies, and ear infections—most are free of these challenges, which are not definitive of autism.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00P42X22C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (August 4, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 4, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2254 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #102,469 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #15 in Autism
- #30 in Children's Health (Kindle Store)
- #45 in Popular Developmental Psychology

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Tom Fields-Meyer
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Tom Fields-Meyer is author of the critically acclaimed memoir "Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son," a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. The coauthor (with Barry M. Prizant) of "Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism," and former senior writer for People, he lives in Los Angeles, where he teaches in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.
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Barry M Prizant
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Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, (www.barryprizant.com) is among the world’s leading authorities on autism, and is recognized as an innovator of respectful, person- and family-centered approaches for individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities. With close to fifty years of experience as a scholar, researcher, and international consultant, he is an adjunct professor of communication disorders at the University of Rhode Island, a certified speech-language pathologist and director of Childhood Communication Services, a private practice. Barry is coauthor of The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach, now being implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published four books, more than 130 articles and chapters and has received many awards, including the Honors of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (their highest recognition), the Princeton University Eden Foundation career award in autism and the "Divine Neurotypical Award" of GRASP, the world's largest autistic self-advocacy organization. He has been a two time featured presenter at the United Nations on World Autism Awareness Day. Barry lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, with his wife, Dr. Elaine Meyer, a clinical psychologist and nurse, and Associate Professor in the Harvard Medical School. Barry is a performing percussionist and has a specific interest in the impact of the arts on enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families. He sits on the boards of two inclusive theatre companies co-founded by and including autistic actors.
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Lindsey W

Not to be trite, but this is a MUST Read

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017

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In a field where many of the books on autism are written by outsiders who perpetuate myths, stereotypes, and negative images of autism - or at best, that autistic individuals deserve respect despite their wildly different and often bizarre behavior - Dr. Prizant's take on autism as a unique way of being human is refreshing. Through explanation of concepts and theories, backed by real life examples throughout his extensive career, Prizant highlights the universally human underpinnings of behaviors in autistic individuals that many might not understand. An autistic person who repeats the same question over and over despite being answered the first time? How many neurotypical kids ask "are we there yet" ad nauseum on long car trips? An autistic person flicking their fingers repeatedly? How many neurotypical people twirl their hair to help focus or chew gum to calm their nerves?

The perspective shift in "Uniquely Human" is one sorely needed in the world and Prizant writes in a way that is accessible by anyone and very easy to read. With a blend of stories and concepts, the book never gets boring or drags, but rather keeps a comfortable pace. Anyone with a loved one with autism would benefit from reading this book as would every professional who does or might work with an autistic individual. After reading "Uniquely Human", I told a friend of mine who is a principal that *this* would be the book her teachers and staff should read for ongoing autism education. Not only does the book provide an excellent perspective shift, it does so in a way that addresses how to tackle many of the struggles that caregivers, educators, and others have in understanding and supporting autistic individuals. To be honest, I had avoided this book for several months because I thought the title would be an exercise in trite condescension of the autistic community, but I found it to be genuine and respectful of the dignity of everyone. For those who are somewhat familiar with the neurodiversity community, the one caveat you should know is that Prizant acknowledges that many adult autistics prefer an identity first language (autistic person) as opposed to a person first language (person with autism), but chooses to use a person first language without much explanation as to why. Aside from that, which I realize can be very significant for many, I found "Uniquely Human" to be the perfect introduction to autism book in terms of hands-on application. If you are looking for a good understanding of the historical development and story of autism as a diagnosis and the emergence of the neurodiversity movement, I highly recommend "NeuroTribes" by Steve Silberman.

If you are a parent, grandparent, caregiver, teacher, administrator, etc., please read this book.

30 people found this helpful

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Yael Calhoun

A book to Celebrate Neurodivergence!

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024

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THis book is a must read for anyone working with people who think in unique ways -- it is a book to help celebrate neurodivergence.
It's compassionate, intelligently written, and inspiring.
I have added it to my trainings. Thank you!!

4 people found this helpful

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Melissa Houser

The most influential book I have ever read

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2020

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"Uniquely Human" is the most influential book I have ever read, and Dr. Prizant's expertise and wisdom has completely changed my family’s lives - and nearly immediately so. Though I recognized early on that my son was differently wired and was able to get him support, I was completely unprepared for how to make his world be the way he needed it to be. Still, my lens was "off." This book gave me a new lens to view my son, our relationship, and all the subtle aspects of our interactions. It changed everything. I’ve been sharing this book with every parent and professional I interact with. At home, very slight shifts in our environment all aimed at the priority of optimizing trust and security have led to explosive growth in my son's regulation, play skills, and language. "Uniquely Human" offers a framework to understand so much of what my son's experiences are like (and he loves confirming when I get it right!). It also has very practical suggestions of how to make kids feel more comfortable in their bodies, with people, and in the environment -- for example, creating a board that tells my son where his father is has entirely eliminated his asking for him (because he feels confident that he can check at any time).

I am also a family physician with the privilege of taking care of many children, both neurodiverse and neurotypical. This book also gives me a new lens to help children, parents, and families by viewing ALL behavior as communication. Dr. Prizant challenges us to ask "why?" for every behavior, until we connect and understand.

I cannot recommend this book more highly.

32 people found this helpful

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Gracie

Covers a lot of info.

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024

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Loved all of the case studies.

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023

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This book has helped me to better understand my whole family, as well as myself. I'm in my mid-70's, and all my life I've struggled with various aspects of my personality. This book helped me to be a little less hard on myself.

9 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Need

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023

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This is a beautiful book. I highly recommend it to parents, professionals, or anybody who wants a real account of autism and ways communication is so varied and wonderful

8 people found this helpful

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K Taylor

A must read for a better understanding of Autism

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024

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It is easy to find books explaining different techniques to work with children on the spectrum but this is the first book I’ve read that reinforced the need to understand the reason behind the behavior. The case examples offer great insight as to how to look at the behavior from the view of the individual and not as a behavior to be controlled or eliminated.

8 people found this helpful

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Alissa Fox

Recommended book from Cari Ebert

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024

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This book was recommended from Cari Ebert when I took her class. This book is about changing ourselves in order to understand autistic people.

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Serviço e conteúdo: nota 10! Qualidade do papel escolhido para a impressão: sofrível!

Reviewed in Brazil on June 1, 2022

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Serviço de entrega e o conteúdo do livro são excepcionais. A qualidade do papel escolhido é horrível (papel de gibi)! Você tem dificuldade de fazer anotações, com medo de rasgar as folhas. Uma obra desse naipe deveria ter tido um tratamento editorial diferenciado. Lastimável!

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pamela torres

Increíble libro

Reviewed in Mexico on August 10, 2021

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Aún no termino de leerlo pero me esta fascinando. Lo recomiendo 100%

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nomad_p

Best Book for Autism!!

Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2020

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This is the secret recipe on why I love teaching, playing and goofing around with my students! Kids with special needs is honestly hard to dealt with if you don’t know their background. This book brought out the character in me to understand them, how to communicate and sympathize with their struggles. Barry Prizant’s experiences in his career helped me to understand my profession more.

2 people found this helpful

Hansel

Worth the read!!

Reviewed in India on December 9, 2021

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This is a great read for Any parent or professional dealing with differently abled children adn adults. It makes for a beautiful read with insights into how understanding and embracing the child with his/her abilities and disabilities however small or big they may be. Would definitely recommend.

Miss E Laver

A must read for anyone especially those caring for children with ASD

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2020

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I rarely leave reviews but felt compelled to write one after only being half way through this book in the hope that it might help reach someone in understanding their child or maybe a child they care for. I wish this book was given to me when my son was diagnosed. 7 years in and I understand my child quite well now but reading this book was a feeling of at last someone understands my child. It’s eye opening, re affirming, and helps see things from their world which can be so hard for us to understand and comprehend. It’s helped me to re think a few problems we are facing and confirmed my thought on others. Everyone should read this book especially those caring for or working with children with autism, especially if trying to understand behaviours. Highly recommend this is the best autism book I have read to date, thank you to the author!

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