Main description:

Autism is old and unruly. It's been a part of us since we first left handprints on cave walls 40,000 year s ago. Autism and Us: Old as Time covers a long-stretch view of its neurological history and how society has judged it. With quotes from old medical records, folk-tale beliefs, and Victorian literature, the book conjures up the 19th century mix of ignorance, cruelty, fumbling knowledge, and surprising love that led to the first medical recognition of autism as a social disorder. From that medically significant recognition has grown our present day neurological and cognitive understanding.

Contents:

Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2: The Nature of Autism
Chapter 3: The Nature of Our Response
Chapter 4: Man, The
Chapter 5: The Bed of Hot Coals
Chapter 6: Autism in Victorian Literature
Chapter 7: Medical Progress Meets the Concert Stage Late 19th Century
Chapter 8: World War II
Chapter 9: Autism and the Minefield of Blame 1940-1950
Chapter 10: Honor and Shame in the 1960's
Chapter 11: Anxiety and Change in the 1970's
Chapter 12: The Asperger's Story 1980's - 1990's
Chapter 13: The Mirror Neuron Story 1990's - 2018
Chapter 14: Putting It All Together and Acting On It