AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
A life with autism...Dr Ian Hale discusses his book, The Insider's Guide to Autism and Asperger's
A Bath-born author has reflected on life with autism in a book which he hopes will provide the information which was not around when he was diagnosed.
The Insider's Guide to Autism and Asperger's was written by Dr Ian Hale who has since moved away from Bath.
Dr Hale is also a renowned poet who has been compared to writers such as John Keats and TS Eliot.
The Insider's Guide is written for people to help them understand more about the conditions and understand how to work with sufferers.
It aims to dispel the myths about autism and explain thoroughly both what it is, and what it is not, beginning with its history.
Bath Spa University graduate Dr Hale said: "It is a guide not a textbook either, it is not comprehensive but deliberately brief enough for the non-professional. Another part of its job is to de-mystify the subject...the book explains what these terms mean and their implications. I want people to embrace autism, not to be scared."
Dr Hale also includes personal experiences. He said: "my reason to write it was simple. I remember being so confused - I was diagnosed at 7-8 years by the time I was 15 or 16, and this was the book my family, school and parents needed." So after looking into the subject in more detail he decided to write the book his family didn't have access to when he was a child.
April was Autism Awareness Month - a time dedicated to spreading the awareness of autism in schools and promote inclusion and acceptance of people with different needs.
People with autism experience the world differently from others. Dr Hale said: "all Autistic people have at least one super-developed sense - touch, smell, hearing - which causes confusion. Children are kept awake by sounds parents can't hear, the normal bustle of school or a bus is an overwhelming and terrifying bombardment of sensory overload leading to an autistic meltdown which is a bloody awful experience for everyone. I have had them and seen them.
"The biggest challenges though are public ignorance and social rejection/exclusion. Autism is a disability and needs to be treated as that- it is what is called a 'hidden disability'. The scars, pain and damage are inside all the time and people don't know. That frustration with people not caring, not knowing and/or not taking it seriously is why many autistic people self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, self harm and ultimately suicide. We should not shy away from - and in the book I don't from that taboo.
"Suicide rates are very high among the autism community and the despair from society's shunning is a big factor. I am not saying it's the only one, but a very significant one. It's like screaming in space no-one hears. So, that's another reason I wrote the book, to show others like me that I hear!"
He said more research is underway in countries such as Sweden, China, India and the US with understanding of autism already progressing at a "fast pace."
He added: "As we advance more and quicker in decoding our genetic understanding, autism will become clear - as Dr Hans Asperger (the discoverer) said, "There is no genius where there is not at least a touch of autism." I'm not sure I agree, but genetics will reveal the truth."
To buy Dr Hale's book, The Insider's Guiode to Autism and Asperger's, visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insiders-Guide-Autism-Aspe...
SOURCE: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/8203...ider-s-Guide/story-29212343-detail/story.html
A life with autism...Dr Ian Hale discusses his book, The Insider's Guide to Autism and Asperger's
A Bath-born author has reflected on life with autism in a book which he hopes will provide the information which was not around when he was diagnosed.
The Insider's Guide to Autism and Asperger's was written by Dr Ian Hale who has since moved away from Bath.
Dr Hale is also a renowned poet who has been compared to writers such as John Keats and TS Eliot.
The Insider's Guide is written for people to help them understand more about the conditions and understand how to work with sufferers.
It aims to dispel the myths about autism and explain thoroughly both what it is, and what it is not, beginning with its history.
Bath Spa University graduate Dr Hale said: "It is a guide not a textbook either, it is not comprehensive but deliberately brief enough for the non-professional. Another part of its job is to de-mystify the subject...the book explains what these terms mean and their implications. I want people to embrace autism, not to be scared."
Dr Hale also includes personal experiences. He said: "my reason to write it was simple. I remember being so confused - I was diagnosed at 7-8 years by the time I was 15 or 16, and this was the book my family, school and parents needed." So after looking into the subject in more detail he decided to write the book his family didn't have access to when he was a child.
April was Autism Awareness Month - a time dedicated to spreading the awareness of autism in schools and promote inclusion and acceptance of people with different needs.
People with autism experience the world differently from others. Dr Hale said: "all Autistic people have at least one super-developed sense - touch, smell, hearing - which causes confusion. Children are kept awake by sounds parents can't hear, the normal bustle of school or a bus is an overwhelming and terrifying bombardment of sensory overload leading to an autistic meltdown which is a bloody awful experience for everyone. I have had them and seen them.
"The biggest challenges though are public ignorance and social rejection/exclusion. Autism is a disability and needs to be treated as that- it is what is called a 'hidden disability'. The scars, pain and damage are inside all the time and people don't know. That frustration with people not caring, not knowing and/or not taking it seriously is why many autistic people self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, self harm and ultimately suicide. We should not shy away from - and in the book I don't from that taboo.
"Suicide rates are very high among the autism community and the despair from society's shunning is a big factor. I am not saying it's the only one, but a very significant one. It's like screaming in space no-one hears. So, that's another reason I wrote the book, to show others like me that I hear!"
He said more research is underway in countries such as Sweden, China, India and the US with understanding of autism already progressing at a "fast pace."
He added: "As we advance more and quicker in decoding our genetic understanding, autism will become clear - as Dr Hans Asperger (the discoverer) said, "There is no genius where there is not at least a touch of autism." I'm not sure I agree, but genetics will reveal the truth."
To buy Dr Hale's book, The Insider's Guiode to Autism and Asperger's, visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insiders-Guide-Autism-Aspe...
SOURCE: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/8203...ider-s-Guide/story-29212343-detail/story.html
