Newswise — In UNSTRANGE MINDS: Remapping the World of AUTISM (Pub date: February 1, 2007; Hardcover; $26.95), Roy Richard Grinker, an award-winning anthropologist and father of a daughter with autism, presents the controversial idea that there is no evidence for an autism epidemic. The high rates of diagnosis today are instead evidence that scientists are finally, after all these years, counting cases correctly. And this is a good thing, not only for the US but for the world, including cultures that have only just begun to learn about autism.
Grinker explains how increases in diagnoses actually arise from new and more reliable diagnostic guidelines—with a broader range of symptoms for an autism classification, earlier detection, and increased public awareness. He outlines the advantages of better social and educational services for children with an autism diagnosis over other mental illnesses and the increased social acceptance and integration of these children into our society. Previously a child with autism might receive a diagnosis of mental retardation or even FLK (funny looking kid) and not receive any treatment or help at all.
Grinker also writes about his personal story: his family's battles with the school system, the rare orchid his daughter Isabel plucked at the Smithsonian, and a day in Monet's garden that changed Isabel forever. He talks movingly about Isabel's personal triumphs, as she advances further than anyone had expected. But as an anthropologist as well as a father, Grinker goes beyond his own experience and travels to find surprising answers across the globe—in South Korea, South Africa, India and the mountains of Appalachia.
Providing a unique and much-needed new understanding of this global phenomenon, UNSTRANGE MINDS gives a poignant portrayal of Grinker's personal story, as well as other families coping with autism, and demonstrates the importance of history and culture in looking at autism today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Roy Richard Grinker is Professor of Anthropology, and Director of the Institute for Ethnographic Research at George Washington University. He is the author of four other books including the widely acclaimed In The Arms of Africa: The Life of Colin M. Turnbull and editor-in-chief of Anthropological Quarterly. He has appeared on the Discovery Channel, and the National Geographic Channel, and on regional and national NPR. He can be found on the web at http://www.unstrange.com
UNSTRANGE MINDS: Remapping the World of AutismRoy Richard GrinkerBasic BooksPublication date: February 1, 2007Hardcover: $26.95; Pages 340ISBN-13: 978-0-465-027663-7ISBN-10: 0-465-02763-6http://www.perseusbooks.com
Subsidiary Rights: Alternate selection in Behavioral Science Book Club and Language Speech Pathology Book Club
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