The Jumbled Jigsaw: An Insider's Approach to the Treatment of Autistic Spectrum 'Fruit Salads'

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 392 pages
• Published by: Jessica Kingsley Publishers November 15, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1843102811
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1843102816
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Product Description
"The Jumbled Jigsaw" exposes autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) not as single entities but as a combination of a whole range of often untreated, sometimes easily treatable, underlying conditions. Exploring everything from mood, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and tic disorders to information processing and sensory perceptual difficulties, including dependency issues, identity problems and much more, Donna demonstrates how a number of such conditions can combine to form a 'cluster condition' and underpin the label 'autism spectrum disorder'. Donna Williams encourages and empowers families to look at what they can do to change their child's environment to address anxiety, overload and other issues. She also gives carers the necessary information to navigate the booming autism marketplace and demand the right tools for the job. The author also challenges professionals to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to identifying and treating the cluster conditions that make up an autism spectrum diagnosis, and to improve service delivery to those in need. "The Jumbled Jigsaw" is a call to modern society to take responsibility and accept diversity. It is written in a very human and easy to use way for parents and for Auties and Aspies themselves, but it is also aimed at carers, professionals, policy-makers and service providers.

About The Author
Donna Williams was born in Australia in 1963 and raised in a working-class inner-city area in Australia. She grew up hearing words such as 'deaf', 'disturbed', 'crazy' and 'spastic', and like many able people with autism born in the 1960s and earlier, she wasn't formally diagnosed with autism until adulthood. As well as writing, composing, painting and sculpting, she lectures and runs workshops on autism all around the world. Donna is also the author of four autobiographies - Nobody Nowhere, Somebody Somewhere, Like Colour to the Blind and Everyday Heaven - along with several other books on autism, autism and Sensing, autism: An Inside-Out Approach, Exposure Anxiety, and a collection of her poetry, Not Just Anything: A Collection of Thoughts on Paper. These books are also published by and available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Her first international best-selling autobiography, Nobody Nowhere, is currently under option by a Hollywood film company. After 13 years in the UK, she now lives back in Australia with her husband Chris.

Reader Reviews
This fascinating and insightful book can only be described as a guide and "wake up call" for everyone. Despite the "experts" imposing severity labels on Autism that are then used by the education community to direct intervention and expectation as well as outcomes, their lack of understanding of the "jumbled jigsaw" and the personality and individuality of the Autistic person has doomed their system to failure. For example if one simply provided one of these "experts" the diagnostic presentation of the author, Donna Williams at various points in her life, without them being aware of her "outcome", the current diagnostic criteria who have resulted in low expectations and a life relegated to an "institutionalized" existence. Instead, Ms Williams is married and is a successful author, sculptor, artist etc. Ms. Williams serves as the symbol of what really is possible and she took the time to write down what worked and what did not so many mistakes can be avoided : With appropriate assistance, the autistic person has the best chance to become all they would have been if the symptoms of what others call the persons "autism" were minimized. The truth being ,the symptoms have multiple treatable etiologies ,that vary from day to day and an "inside out approach" offers the best chance these individuals have.at leading a "normal" (whatever that is) life.. 1 in 166 births. The failure of the education and support systems/institutions to foster TRUE INDEPENDENCE in this population will result in not just a moral and ethical crisis in the very near future but an economic one as well. If changes in the current thinking about Autism do not occur, more institutions at public expense will have to be created to care for this ever-increasing population. Autism affects everyone directly or indirectly and the confusion over what part of what society calls "Autism" is the gift and what part of autism is the difference/personality inherent in the individual has resulted in many inappropriate ineffective treatments and wasted opportunity for thousands of individuals. Read it and learn then pass it on Monica in California