Barry M. Prizant

Tom Fields-Meyer

Essential reading for any parent, teacher, therapist, or caregiver of a person with autism: a groundbreaking book on autism, by one of the world’s leading experts, who portrays autism not as a tragic disability, but as a unique way of being human. Autism is usually portrayed as a checklist of deficits, including difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. This perspective leads to therapies focused on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms. Now Dr. Barry M. Prizant, an internationally renowned autism expert, offers a new and compelling paradigm: the most successful approaches to autism don’t aim at fixing a person by eliminating symptoms, but rather seeking to understand the individual’s experience and what underlies the behavior. In Uniquely Human, Dr. Prizant suggests a major shift in understanding autism: Instead of classifying “autistic” behaviors as signs of pathology, he 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 naturally lead to more desirable behavior and a better quality of life. In fact, argues Dr. Prizant, attempts to eliminate “autistic” behaviors may actually interfere with important developmental processes. While it never discounts the difficulties of living with autism, Uniquely Human offers inspiring stories, and practical advice drawn from Dr. Prizant’s four-decade career working in universities, schools, hospitals, and in private practice. It conveys a deep respect for people with autism and the qualities that make them special. Filled with humanity and wisdom, Uniquely Human offers a compassionate and insightful perspective that parents, professionals, and family members will find uplifting and hopeful.

A Different Way of Seeing Autism

Uniquely Human

Uniquely Human : Revised and Expanded

Tim Tran

"Oregon history is rich with stories of courageous individuals who overcame tremendous odds. Few stories are more compelling and inspirational, however, than that of Tim Tran. In "American Dreamer," Tim shares the remarkable journey that brought him from communist Vietnam to personal and professional success in Oregon. It should be required reading for anyone who doubts that the American dream is alive and well." -- Kerry Tymchuk, Executive Director, Oregon Historical Society

How I Escaped Communist Vietnam and Built a Successful Life in America

American Dreamer

A heartwarming, intimate and amusing memoir of a father's experience raising his autistic son. When Tom Fields-Meyer's son Ezra was three and showing early signs of autism, a therapist suggested that the father needed to grieve. "For what?" he asked. The answer: "For the child he didn't turn out to be." That moment helped strengthen the author's resolve to do just the opposite: to love the child Ezra was, a quirky boy with a fascinating and complex mind. Full of tender moments and unexpected humor, Following Ezra is the story of a father and son on a ten-year journey from Ezra's diagnosis to the dawn of his adolescence. It celebrates his growth from a remote toddler to an extraordinary young man, connected in his own remarkable ways to the world around him.

What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love From His Extraordi nary Son

Following Ezra

Winner of the Autism Society of America's Dr. Temple Grandin Award Autism is a different way of being human: it offers possibilities and opportunities, not disabilities. By understanding autistic behaviours as responses based on an individual's experiences and as strategies to cope with a chaotic world, Barry Prizant seeks to enhance a child's abilities, to teach new skills, help individuals build on their strengths and develop coping strategies that could aid the fulfilment of every child's promise. Uniquely Human debunks many of the false and outdated stereotypes that surround autism. It is a first step towards a greater understanding of people with autism and an essential part of their successful participation in and contribution to society. With a wealth of inspiring stories and practical advice from thousands of children and older people with autism and their families, Uniquely Human conveys a deep respect for the qualities in people on the autism spectrum that make them special. It offers a compassionate and insightful perspective that could be life-changing as well as uplifting.

Tom Fields-Meyer

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