Reading, reading...
One side effect of the interrupted/slowed internet connection is that I've been reading again. Now, I'm a book-a-day kind of girl; sometimes two. But the last six months, I've been more or less just reading fan fiction, and although I've read a lot of words, I could probably count the amount of actual books I've read on one hand.
The last few days, I've finished/read three.
* Out of Silence - Russell Martin
Regardless of what you might think about Facilitated Communication and its use with people with autism, this book was worth reading for its insights into language acquisition and development. The cover 'quote' compared the style to Oliver Sacks, and I could appreciate the comparison. It made my brain feel like it was being stretched, which is always a good thing, but I had to read it in small doses when I was alert, or otherwise I couldn't make sense of it. I had to do the same thing when I read Sacks' Awakenings.
It was also the first book I'd read that talked sensibly for the cause of vaccine-triggered autism, and wasn't just looking for someone to blame with no scientific justification. Martin put forward the case for why he thought his nephew Ian's autism was caused by the pertussis vaccine, and he did it convincingly, to my mind. He wasn't raving about mercury, he talked about whole cell vaccines. They aren't advised for children with severe allergies or sensitivities because of potentially fatal or brain-damaging side effects, but Ian's parents weren't told that by their paediatrician, and he was given it anyway. Everything Martin put across or said regarding vaccines and the way autism effects the brain, he emphasised as 'just his theories', not set in stone. I liked that he wasn't an extremist in his views, and that although he obviously had ideas he was keen on, he didn't try to apply them to every person with autism, just the one in his life.
This isn't worth reading if you're just looking for a biography of an autistic child though. Read it if you're interested in linguistics, language acquisition and autism.
* Deaf Like Me - Thomas S. Spradley, James P. Spradley, Lynn Spradley
Though this was a fairly good book, I have to admit I was disappointed. It mainly talked about the Spradleys frustrations with the Oral method, and virtually nothing about them starting to learn to communicate with Lynn in Sign. I kept waiting for the Sign, and it wasn't until the last chapter or two that they got to it, and even then it was vague and felt 'skimmed over'. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
* Spinning Straw: The Jeff Apple Story - Phyllis J. D. Green, Patricia M. Apple
I have to say, I wasn't expecting too much from this one. When I got it, I flicked it open, saw the shoddy layout and thought, oh boy, another poorly edited, cheaply published stinker. But I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn't so much a book about someone with autism as a book about someone with severe Self Injurious Behaviour. Though Jeff was autistic, the SIB was his main issue, and it led to his death before the age of thirty.
Given the topic, I was expecting this book to be harrowing, and it was far from. The style it was written in was very conversational. It also felt very Southern. It felt very much like Pat Apple had sat me down in her kitchen and was tellin' me all about the light of her life, her son, who was only with her for a short time. This book was warm and loving, and really a celebration of Jeff, without being saccharine or preachy. More words were devoted to Jeff's smile, his blue eyes and his excitement and love for things and people in his life than to depression and misery. And although Pat and George Apple didn't agree at times (indeed, the book describes some flat out arguments) they loved their son with a passion, and were always trying as best they could to make his life a little better.
Reading now: The Real Alice - Anne Clark (biography of Alice Liddell)
Initial thoughts: Started slowly, but it's getting going now (60 pages in). It's a beautiful, almost A4 sized hardback with an incredible amount of information and pictures/photographs. Though the copy I have is ex-library, I was thrilled with the condition when it turned up. It's the same age as me, and it's lovely! First edition!
The last few days, I've finished/read three.
* Out of Silence - Russell Martin
Regardless of what you might think about Facilitated Communication and its use with people with autism, this book was worth reading for its insights into language acquisition and development. The cover 'quote' compared the style to Oliver Sacks, and I could appreciate the comparison. It made my brain feel like it was being stretched, which is always a good thing, but I had to read it in small doses when I was alert, or otherwise I couldn't make sense of it. I had to do the same thing when I read Sacks' Awakenings.
It was also the first book I'd read that talked sensibly for the cause of vaccine-triggered autism, and wasn't just looking for someone to blame with no scientific justification. Martin put forward the case for why he thought his nephew Ian's autism was caused by the pertussis vaccine, and he did it convincingly, to my mind. He wasn't raving about mercury, he talked about whole cell vaccines. They aren't advised for children with severe allergies or sensitivities because of potentially fatal or brain-damaging side effects, but Ian's parents weren't told that by their paediatrician, and he was given it anyway. Everything Martin put across or said regarding vaccines and the way autism effects the brain, he emphasised as 'just his theories', not set in stone. I liked that he wasn't an extremist in his views, and that although he obviously had ideas he was keen on, he didn't try to apply them to every person with autism, just the one in his life.
This isn't worth reading if you're just looking for a biography of an autistic child though. Read it if you're interested in linguistics, language acquisition and autism.
* Deaf Like Me - Thomas S. Spradley, James P. Spradley, Lynn Spradley
Though this was a fairly good book, I have to admit I was disappointed. It mainly talked about the Spradleys frustrations with the Oral method, and virtually nothing about them starting to learn to communicate with Lynn in Sign. I kept waiting for the Sign, and it wasn't until the last chapter or two that they got to it, and even then it was vague and felt 'skimmed over'. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
* Spinning Straw: The Jeff Apple Story - Phyllis J. D. Green, Patricia M. Apple
I have to say, I wasn't expecting too much from this one. When I got it, I flicked it open, saw the shoddy layout and thought, oh boy, another poorly edited, cheaply published stinker. But I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn't so much a book about someone with autism as a book about someone with severe Self Injurious Behaviour. Though Jeff was autistic, the SIB was his main issue, and it led to his death before the age of thirty.
Given the topic, I was expecting this book to be harrowing, and it was far from. The style it was written in was very conversational. It also felt very Southern. It felt very much like Pat Apple had sat me down in her kitchen and was tellin' me all about the light of her life, her son, who was only with her for a short time. This book was warm and loving, and really a celebration of Jeff, without being saccharine or preachy. More words were devoted to Jeff's smile, his blue eyes and his excitement and love for things and people in his life than to depression and misery. And although Pat and George Apple didn't agree at times (indeed, the book describes some flat out arguments) they loved their son with a passion, and were always trying as best they could to make his life a little better.
Reading now: The Real Alice - Anne Clark (biography of Alice Liddell)
Initial thoughts: Started slowly, but it's getting going now (60 pages in). It's a beautiful, almost A4 sized hardback with an incredible amount of information and pictures/photographs. Though the copy I have is ex-library, I was thrilled with the condition when it turned up. It's the same age as me, and it's lovely! First edition!