WHERE TO GET THE BOOK: http://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=F6B31A8DAFD6BD39A5986833E66293E6
People have been kind enough to link the audiobook in past posts, so hopefully they'll do that here, too.
CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS AUTISM, REALLY?
In this chapter, Dr. Price discusses what the popular perception (read: stereotype) of Autism is, as opposed to what it actually is, and how it is just as much a social thing as it is a medical thing. How Autism often goes undiagnosed in people of color, women, gender nonconforming people, etc. He discusses the concept of neurodiversity and how it applies to ASD and ADHD people, AuDHD people, schizophrenics, BPD people, people deemed "low intelligence" or "low-functioning," etc. and how neurotypicality is not so much a described set of behaviors as an oppresive social ideal that literally everyone deviates from in some small way at least.
There's a heartbreaking passage in here where Dr. Price recounts his father tearfully revealing his cerebral palsy and seizure disorder to him as if it was a source of secret shame, how this is tragically rational because if he didn't hide it it might lead to losing his job or other forms of discrimination that disabled people of all stripes face. How avoiding a label can be a social asset in a world that deems you unfit for public life in many ways if you're labeled autistic. How even a late diagnosis can open you up to a world of new possibilities, and get rid of toxic shame you've had for a long time.
There's discussion of how the stereotype of Rainman Bazinga Sheldon 
is tied into the roots of Autism's first descriptions in medical literature, and how Hans Asperger played a role in this with his eugenicist beliefs and willing cooperation with the Nazi regime to exterminate children dubbed Autistic (as opposed to "useful" ones that could be trained to fit in as a lower class of person -- essentially "Asperger's" meant you got to live) and how that harms minority Autistics, causing them to go undiagnosed or forcing them to mask in more fundamental, soul-crushing ways, to avoid social misunderstandings that can literally be deadly for them.
From there we get a medically and socially up-to-date definition and breakdown of what Autism is, a simple explanation of some of the neurobiology involved, the neurological markers like focus on details and diminished ability to prioritize and differentiate stimuli and delayed emotional processing, and the various medical, psychological, and social impacts Autism has on those who are Autistic. There's a lot in here on neurodiversity, intersectionality, how stereotypes were formed, how to start recognizing them as such. There's also a lot on how unfairly the medical community and especially health insurance treats neurodivergent people, and so on.
Most importantly, this is where Dr. Price first advocates for the notion of Autistic self-determination. He stresses "self-determination" or "self-realization" over "self-diagnosis" because of the social aspect of Autism, and promises to expand on this notion further, which indeed he does.
So, discussion questions:
- What did you think of this chapter? Is there anything new you learned? Anything that really activates those almonds, gets the noggin joggin'?
- Are there any passages that really stuck out to you? Something you think warrants deeper discussion or really crystallizes something you were struggling to express or share?
- Any certified "literally me" moments that touched you?
- Anything you hope to explore further in upcoming chapters?
Tag post to follow, plus my thoughts in another post.
Had been looking forward to the book club reading on this. I e seen a few people mention how this book really opened their eyes and o had been thinking of reading it for a while. So thanks for organizing this.
I think one of the biggest things is how differently autism can manifest itself in people. This is something that I've read about in a limited capacity before, but it really makes me think not just of my own experiences, but of the people around me. Being a POC there's still a huge stigma surrounding autism. Autism is something that is prevalent on my mom's side of the family as recently a couple of my cousins have had kids diagnosed with autism and it's always rubbed me the wrong way how they've approached those diagnoses. I also realize that I myself and even several more people in my family would probably fall somewhere on the spectrum.
I never realized that Asperger worked so closely with Nazis or based much of his findings on eugenics. And it think it really highlights the dangers of how academics working in a society, which already excludes "outsiders", are able to set the standards for how something like autism is diagnosed and treated.
Certain aspects of Crystal's experience for sure. College was a very similar experience for me. I started out as a full-time student, but after about a year I started dropping classes or just straight up registering part-time. I was 24 in my last year in college and even though I was close to graduating I just couldn't do it anymore and ended up dropping out.
Another is being a workaholic to avoid social situations. Especially at my old job which was more customer facing than my current job. But I even do it to avoid talking much with coworkers. It's a bit harder to escape now though. At my old job I was a computer repair technician and we had a small repair room with its own locking door and I often found solace sinking hours in there working on customer devices even though I was technically supposed to just connect it to a remote service. The speed and quality of my work bought some leeway with my managers since my customers usually gave me good reviews. And while social isolation wasn't the only reason I would lock myself in the repair room, I did enjoy the work, it certainly did become a crutch for me at some points.
Just reading up on the diverse forms of autism and seeing what else I can learn that I can apply to my life as well as how I perceive others.
Thanks for sharing.