Autism and Us: Old As Time

Autismis old and unruly. It s been a part of us since we first left handprints oncave walls 40,000 year s ago. AUTISM AND US covers a long-stretchview of its neurological history and how society has judged it. Withquotes from old medical records, folk-tale beliefs, and Victorian literature,the book conjures up the 19th century mix of ignorance, cruelty,fumbling knowledge, and surprising love that led to the first medicalrecognition of autism as a social disorder. From that medically significantrecognition has grown our present day neurological and cognitiveunderstanding. EustaciaCutler, autism expert and mother of Temple Grandin, delivers a colorful andreliable account of the pioneers it has taken for autism to gain understandingand acceptance in families, neighborhoods, schools and job markets.