Winner of the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize A Sunday Times & New York Times bestseller Foreword by Oliver Sacks What is autism a devastating developmental condition a lifelong disability or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth it is all of these things & more
- & the future of our society depends on our understanding it Following on from his groundbreaking article ' The Geek Syndrome' Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it & finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years Going back to the earliest autism research & chronicling the brave & lonely journey of autistic people & their families through the decades Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle while casting light on the growing movement of 'neurodiversity' & mapping out a path towards a more humane world for people with learning differences