Book review: John M. Ortiz, The Myriad Gifts of Asperger’s Syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008. £12.99. 9781843108832

Abstract

pleasure or comfort to the person doing them. This is followed by a glossary and finally a reference list and notes.Dasha has written a very "personal" account of autism in which she champions both humans on the autistic spectrum and animals, challenging ordinary humans to be less sure that their way of experiencing the world is superior or the only one. She explores not just how autism might make one different, but also how these differences may arise and why they can be so individual. Her use of illustrative examples is a particular strength. None of the ideas that she explores are new, but she has drawn on a wide literature base to make it clear that recognizing the sensory and emotional complexities that underlie autistic experience is a good basis on which to build on strengths and try to mitigate or work around weaknesses. This is a book that will be found useful by those who live or work alongside people on the autistic spectrum. Old hands may find ideas to challenge their existing attitudes to autism and a reading list that will help widen their understanding of what the world might be like for those on the autistic spectrum. The illustrative stories in the book will be useful to families with an autistic member, but the language and references to a wide literature may put off some readers.