The Fabric of Autism, Weaving The Threads Into A Cogent Theory

by Judith Bluestone

book data

2 ratings, 5.00 average rating, 2 reviews (more data...)

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5		100%

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published

August 1st 2005

binding

Paperback, 232 pages

isbn

0972023526 (isbn13: 9780972023528)

description

In The Fabric of Autism: Weaving the Threads into a Cogent Theory, Judith Bluestone combines her personal autistic experience with acedemic research a...more

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other reviews (showing 1-7 of 7)

All ratings | 5 stars (2) | avg 5.00

all | this edition

Jay rated it:

10/12/08

bookshelves: autism-spectrum, disabled-communities, learning, visual, working-with-people

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Jay by: AASCEND
recommends it for: aspies, auties, people on the autsitic spectrum, parents, professionals

As an adult on the autistic spectrum, there were many things that this book did uniquely and superbly:
-Writing a book aimed respectfully at people with autism, adults, educators, and workers; from the voice of an adult on the spectrum
without patronizing.
-Shifting the balance of power in thinking about autism to the lived experiences of people together with good science and holistic medicine.
-Focusing on the difficulties primary in complaints from people on the spectrum and the actual...more As an adult on the autistic spectrum, there were many things that this book did uniquely and superbly:
-Writing a book aimed respectfully at people with autism, adults, educators, and workers; from the voice of an adult on the spectrum
without patronizing.
-Shifting the balance of power in thinking about autism to the lived experiences of people together with good science and holistic medicine.
-Focusing on the difficulties primary in complaints from people on the spectrum and the actual brain science: sensory dysfunction and disintegration and its effects on the whole body and social abilities.
-Realistic expectations and high hopes that people on the spectrum will move and progress in unpredictable ways, yet that the differences in brain structure will likely mean that sensory processing will always be different than typical.
-The process of "Gentle Enhancement" which starts and ends with paying attention to and respecting the sensory tolerances of an individual. That means learning how to notice overload, reducing environmental barriers, and stopping any activity at the first signs of overload. This contradicts many bombardment approaches of traditional therapies and parenting techniques, paradoxically working better and faster because it doesn't lead to shutdown.
-This approach is set up in a way to make it financially much more feasible than many treatment modalities. (My critique of this is that there is no explicit discussion of the costs involved and how social justice may come to play in this.)

A few other critiques:
-As do many adults on the autistic spectrum, my experience differs in the complexity of labeling as opposed to self-identifying or identifying with a community.
-Some statements got a bit too close to cure rhetoric from my perspective. I say this coming from a disability rights perspective as a person disabled in non-autistic ways as well.
-While Bluestone explains at length ways in which families, professionals, and "the world" are further harmful in holistic sensory integration, she stops short of naming this as prejudice and discrimination or recommending any systemic changes. Individual and family interventions can go a long way, but that will always be limited if it is impossible to avoid overload in dealing with the world's daily demands, many of which are unnecessary and could be changed politically (such as overly bright lights, neurotoxic chemical fragrances, and school rules that pathologize behavioral manifestations of overload).

I am hoping that this book and approach are more broadly considered by parents, professionals, and direct support workers as well as individuals on the autistic spectrum....less

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