Constructing Autism

by Majia Holmer Nadesan

Autism is now considered to be one of the most common developmental disorders today, yet 100 years agoathe termadid not exist. This book examines the historical and social events that enabled autism to be identified as a distinct disorder in the early twentieth century.

The author, herself the mother of an autistic child, aargues thataalthough there is without doubt a biogenetic component to the condition, it is the social factors involved in its identification, interpretation and remediation that determine what it means to be autistic.aConstructing Autismaexplores the social practices and institutions that reflect and shape the way we think about autism and what effects this has on autistic people and their families. Unravelling what appears to be the OCytruthOCO about autism, this informativeabook steps behind the history of its emergence as a modern disorder to see how it has become a crisis of twenty-first century child development."

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Disability

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2005

Reviews

[Annie Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

After many false starts trying to read this book and falling asleep, I made it all the way through. The book is like health food, every sentence is super serious and packed with information. I can't imagine a non-academic reading it, but I will assign it to my students, and if they can stay awake I think they will be enlightened and challenged.

[Adrian Halpert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently did a major research paper on Autism Spectrum and the Law, and Majia Holmer Nadesan's Constructing Autism was one of the most important sources I used. She has done some excellent research into the social construction of what we now call Autism and makes a strong argument that our understanding of autism as a "disorder", as opposed to a legitimate but different way of being, is based upon the social lens we use to interpret that difference.
Nadesan's work is a much needed perspective in a world where too many people on the Autism Spectrum wind up marginalized though an education system that does not support neurodiversity, but does promote misunderstanding. As I expand my own research into the area of autism and the law in the future, I will definitely be coming back to "Constructing Autism".
To my view, this is a seminal work in the emergent field of neurodiversity.
5/5 Stars

[Kay (Amber) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an anthropologist focusing on autism spectrum disorders, I can't suggest a better primer to understand the history of the diagnosis, the spectrum disorder itself, and other social implications that ASDs bring into a person's life. This is an absolute gem in the literature on autism studies.

[Claire Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book regarding the social and historical construction of autism ..... Quick read