In a Different Key: The Story of Autism (102 page)

A
S A TEAM
, Donvan and Zucker have been collaborating on stories about autism since 2000. At ABC, they created the pioneering series
Echoes of Autism
, the first regular feature segment in network news devoted to understanding the lives of individuals and families living with autism. Their 2010 article in
The Atlantic
, “Autism’s First Child,” was shortlisted for the National Magazine Award and appeared in the paperback anthology
Best Magazine Writing of 2011
. Zucker also produced the series
Autism Now
for the
PBS NewsHour
. As two journalists with a personal connection to autism, they aim to inspire acceptance of and support for people on the spectrum by telling their stories with honesty and compassion.

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Table of Contents

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Part I: Autism’s First Child (1930s–1960s)

1: Donald

2: A Menace to Society

3: Case 1

4: Wild Children and Holy Fools

5: Doubly Loved and Protected

6: Some Kind of Genius

Part II: The Blame Game (1960s–1980s)

7: The Refrigerator Mother

8: Prisoner 15209

9: Kanner’s Fault

10: Biting Her Tongue

11: Mothers-in-Arms

12: The Agitator

13: Home on a Monday Afternoon

Part III: The End of Institutions (1970s–1990s)

14: “Behind the Walls of the World’s Indifference”

15: The Right to Education

16: Getting on the Bus

17: Seeing the Ocean for the First Time

Part IV: Behavior, Analyzed (1950s–1990s)

18: The Behaviorist

19: “Screams, Slaps, and Love”

20: The Aversion to Aversives

21: The “Anti-Bettelheim”

22: 47 Percent

23: Look at Me

24: From Courtroom to Classroom

Part V: The Questions Asked in London (1960s–1990s)

25: The Questions Asked

26: Who Counts?

27: Words Unstrung

28: The Great Twin Chase

29: Finding Their Marbles

Part VI: Redefining a Diagnosis (1970s–1990s)

30: The Autism Spectrum

31: The Austrian

32: The Signature

Part VII: Dreams and Boundaries (1980s–1990s)

33: The Dream of Language

34: The Child Within

35: An Elusive Definition

36: Meeting of the Minds

37: The Magic Man

Part VIII: How Autism Became Famous (1980s–1990s)

38: Putting Autism on the Map

39: Society’s Emergency

Part IX: “Epidemic” (1990s–2010)

40: The Vaccine Scare

41: Autism Speaks

42: A Story Unravels

43: The Greatest Fraud

Part X: Today

44: Finding a Voice

45: Neurodiversity

46: A Happy Man

Epilogue

Autism Timeline

Notes

Bibliography

A Note from the Authors

Acknowledgments

About the Authors