In a Different Key: The Story of Autism

Authors: John Donvan and Caren Zucker
Genre: popular science, history

     I picked up this book as I was curious and wanted to know more about autism and I was not at all disappointed.This one is about the many people involved in autism- the doctors, the parents and the patients themselves. The story spans over more than eighty years, mostly covering the happenings in the U.S. and England.

     The authors start of with the story of the first autistic child that  was brought to the attention of Kanner; the psychiatrist who coined the term ‘autism’. It then moves on from there, describing how various theories floating among psychiatrists and researchers shaped the public attitude towards autism. Throughout the book one sees both kinds of examples- good instances where a new teaching technique proved useful to the autistic children and their parents cope with the disorder; and also bad theories like that of the vaccine scare which did more harm than good. As one reads on in the book, one realises that this story does not have one hero, neither are there any bad guys of the traditional sense. Even those that caused harm had good will at their hearts, most of the time. One also comes to realise how important it is to accept theories and alternative therapies only when backed up by concrete and scientific results- this lesson creeps up again and again throughout the book- in the refrigerator mother theory, with the facilitated communication etc. Although there are many heroes in this narrative, a large part of them are parents of autistic children, driven into action to help their own and other children like them. These driven parents formed the first societies and help groups as well formed some early groups to fund autism research. Towards the end of the book and the turn of the century, the autistic people themselves took over the stage to voice their opinions about ongoing research and policies. We have indeed come a long way from the day the disorder was first described and named.

    I really liked the way the authors have put together the whole chain of events, which are as complicated as the disorder itself is. They have managed to bring out the highlights of each era and described each scenario perfectly. The writing style is quite engaging; largely because of the moving personal accounts that bring the point home. By the end of it, I was left with a greater understanding of the struggles the autistic people go through and also a heightened appreciation for autism research. This book is a must for anyone interested in knowing more about autism itself.