Review #26
Once again, I’m dipping into the rich JKP catalogue of books on autism.
I was fascinated to see that this collection of stories is truly diverse – as I’ve noted in other reviews, the vast majority of literature on the spectrum comes from the US, Britain, Australia, and to a lesser extent, Canada, and so this was a treat in that we’re hearing from those in places where autism is little known.
In this anthology, while it is not explicitly stated, it seems that the editor had solicited essays on a “write whatever you want” basis, but with a prompting question of pushing back against the outmoded and discredited theory of “refrigerator mothers” since there are an unusual number of references to that term.
The autistic individuals mentioned in the book were mostly born in the 1960s to 1980s, and so from an earlier generation, and one where the majority of early diagnoses would now be (in DSM-5) classified as ASD2 and ASD3. I note this as the stories often touch on having difficulty finding resources, and many of the mothers write of being not only self-advocates, but of going on to establish organizations, schools, and to otherwise help other parents of autistic children. In that sense, it’s very heart warming and easy to emphasize with the struggles that many of them faced.
The organization is fairly typical, with some of the more interesting pieces in the beginning and end. There's a bit of everything - from signs (and missed signs), challenges with professionals and not getting help (one issue that's raised a lot is getting a diagnosis but being left alone), and something that I would have wanted to see more of is advice and support in general, though the book does overall convey a "you're not alone" tone.
Of course, not all books are perfect. My first criticism is that some passages read a bit auto-hagiographic-like.
The second criticism I have of this work is that I would have loved to hear if any of the autistic individuals spoken of might have to say. At the end of the day, it is about their mothers’ stories, but it would be neat to see if they had anything to add, if they so wished and were capable.
As for a score, this is a tough one. Primarily for the diverse origins of the stories, the relatively early era that they speak of, and that the parental narrative isn’t one we usually see in book form I’d give this a 5.0 (max score 6.0) despite my reservations.
