For some years now I've been editing my old journals, condensing them, getting rid of the paper. This morning I came upon the entry for Sept 12, 1969, one of the most important dates in my life. In an upscale bar frequented by the insurance industry, I had met Matthew, a young underwriter who I … Continue reading Autism | When they admire you
Autism|Toronto’s Van Rampage one year later
This spring new memorials appeared on Yonge Street commemorating the anniversary of Alec Minassian's van attack when he killed ten pedestrians and injured many others. The Toronto Star published a three page article (I was friends with Alek Minassian. We were both outcasts - April 21/2019) by writer Evan Mead, who attended high school with … Continue reading Autism|Toronto’s Van Rampage one year later
Autism | Where did it come from? |A review of The Autism Matrix
Sociologist Gil Eyal's 2010 book The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic was a bombshell in the debate over autism. Yet you almost never hear of it. The concept of autism was first presented in the 1940s, more or less simultaneously, by New York psychiatrist Leo Kanner and Austrian psychologist Hans Asperger. … Continue reading Autism | Where did it come from? |A review of The Autism Matrix
Autism|Is Asperger’s gone?
I've been asking myself this question since the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition) in 2013, which dropped the Asperger's diagnosis. But it took me a while to get my hands on a copy of the DSM-5. This week I examined the section on the … Continue reading Autism|Is Asperger’s gone?
Why did I write The Shyness Guide?
When there are more than 600 books about shyness for sale on Amazon, you might wonder why I wrote another one. How could there be anything left to say? Well, because shyness is almost never understood the way I understand it. My central idea is that shyness is natural in most shy people. It's part … Continue reading Why did I write The Shyness Guide?
The Shyness Guide ebook is here
Yes, after a prolonged delay that I won't try to explain, I have finally got the ebook for sale on Amazon. This week, from Wed Oct 10 to Sunday Oct 14, you can download it FREE at any Amazon site (see below). The Shyness Guide is not just a different look at shyness. It's a … Continue reading The Shyness Guide ebook is here
Autism and the Simpleton
Long before I heard about autism, I was thinking about it. I was a loner from the beginning – as a boy entering school at 5 yrs old, I didn't keep to myself by choice – I did it by instinct. I was completely unable to have friends. As Chris Stone says in my novel … Continue reading Autism and the Simpleton
Is this the Autistic Highway?
Whenever I do a post here about autism, I get four times as many visits as I do for anything else. That's a bit odd, when you consider that autism is supposed to be a rare condition. In the past I've tried to avoid the autism debate. It's so full of dissension, misstatements, and misunderstandings. … Continue reading Is this the Autistic Highway?
Shyness & Autism – Are they related?
In my novels The Birdcatcher and Skol, and in The Shyness Guide, I’ve said that I think shyness and autism are both usually natural. I've also suggested that, in some people, they may be related to each other. This perception of them isn’t supported by any research as far as I know. But when I … Continue reading Shyness & Autism – Are they related?
