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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Reviews

Exploring the intersection of autism and the arts.

Brains of many colors with people standing on them, coming out of the shadows

Book Review: ‘Nobody’s Normal’ chronicles the intertwined history of mental illness and stigma

by  /  26 January 2021

Anthropologist and autism expert Richard Roy Grinker’s latest title reveals how our definitions of mental illnesses and notions of ‘normality’ reek of cultural biases that stop many from seeking help.

Previous articles
November 2020
hands with a red and blue string puzzle.

Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits

by  /  10 November 2020

Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns.

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October 2020
Ilustration shows a young women with pillows, pies and records flying around her.

Book Review: An autistic writer recounts the fun and futility of trying to fit in

by  /  13 October 2020

In “I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder,” Sarah Kurchak weaves together jagged honesty, funny anecdotes and occasionally painful doses of self-awareness.

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August 2020

Review: ‘Love on the Spectrum’ is kind, but unrepresentative

by  /  18 August 2020

The Netflix series that follows 20-something autistic adults looking for love is well intentioned but fails to capture reality and is riddled with bad advice.

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October 2019

Film review: Rare realism about autism in ‘The Limits of My World’

by  /  8 October 2019

Heather Cassano’s documentary about her autistic brother Brian is a thoughtful and empathetic look at life on the spectrum.

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October 2018

Book Review: A mother finds reward in risk

by  /  30 October 2018

In “The Boy Who Loved Too Much,” a woman tries to cocoon her son, who has Williams syndrome, from life’s insults but later realizes her protective instincts carry dangers of their own.

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December 2017

Review: ‘Uncommon Sense’ exquisitely explores autism’s sensory experiences

by  /  5 December 2017

The play dexterously depicts the struggles — sensory and social — of four characters who occupy distinct places on the autism spectrum.

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June 2017

Book Review: ‘To Siri with Love’ offers provocative look at parenting

by  /  20 June 2017

A new book highlights how parenting children with autism is a lot like parenting anyone: You worry, you obsess and, on many an occasion, underestimate everyone, including yourself.

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April 2017

Book review: ‘Rigor Mortis’ reveals rampant sloppiness in science

by  /  4 April 2017

In his new book, journalist Richard Harris writes that lack of reproducibility in research poses a serious threat to science.

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July 2016

Going gluten-free unlikely to help most people with autism

by ,  /  26 July 2016

The presence of antibodies against a wheat protein may indicate that a child with autism would benefit from a gluten-free diet — but little data support this theory.

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January 2016

‘In a Different Key’ presents symphony of autism’s history

by  /  19 January 2016

Journalists John Donvan and Caren Zucker detail autism’s transformation from a diagnosis shrouded in shame to an increasingly accepted, even celebrated, condition.

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