Author of Could It Be Autism? A Parent's Guide to the First Signs and Next StepsVoices from the Spectrum is a compelling collection of personal accounts from people on the autism spectrum and those who care for them, including professionals, friends and family members. The essays in this collection tell of both the positive and negative effects of autism on individuals and families, and pose the question: is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum a puzzle to be solved, or something to be embraced and accepted?The broad scope of this book presents insights into the autism spectrum from many different perspectives - from first-hand accounts of the autistic child's school and childhood experiences to parents' and grandparents' reactions to a diagnosis. A number of chapters written by professionals explain their motivations for working with autistic people and reveal what they have learned from their work and how it has affected their lives. The contributors describe experiences of autism from the mildest to the most severe case, and share their methods of adapting to life on the spectrum.Voices from the Spectrum will appeal to a wide readership of adults and younger people on the autism spectrum, their families and friends, as well as practitioners.

Introduction. PART I: Raising a Child on the Autism Spectrum. 1. The Ride for Autism: A Community Gets in Gear to Help Solve the Puzzle, Andrew Abere. 2. The Tree's on Fire: Voicing Experience, Marc Biondo. 3. Perspectives, Maribel Danta. 4. Facing the Pain of Autism-and Surviving, Nicholas Dixon. 5. Happy Days with my Daughter, Sheryle Dixon. 6. Through the Looking Glass, Phil Dougherty. 7. My Will, Margaret Janger Flynn. 8. Jenius, Nayma Glenn 9. School Days, Heidi J. Graff. 10. You Never Know, Nancy Ironside. 11. Talk to Me, My Darling, Rosemary Johann-Liang. 12. Our Lives at the Edge of the Spectrum, Elizabeth Lipp. 13. Pulling String, Irene Litherland. 14. Still the Same Boy, Mary Marmion. 15. Stump the Cook, Lauren Goldman Marshall. 16. Taking the Bag Off, Shelley Milhous. 17. Truth: The Parents' Spectrum, John Nelson. 18. Listening to Macord, Eric Peter. 19. Parallel Worlds, Antonia Rowland. 20. The Question, Shelley Stolaroff Segal. 21. Simply Perfect, Tanya Stanley. 22. On the Wings of Asperger's, Carol Anne Swett. 23. Learning to Embrace the `A' Word, Elaine Tarutis. 24. On Eating Biscuits: Life with Autism, Eileen Teyssou. 25. Katie's Question, Lauren Yaffe. PART II: The Grandparents' Connection. 26. Barefooted Band-Aid Boy, Patricia E. Gardocki. 27. Lap Time, Dan Gottlieb. 28. An Unexpected Gift of Love, Oscar and Sally Olson. 29. A Grandmother's Story, Elizabeth Nedler. 30. Come with Me, Grandma, Frances S. Rosenfield. PART III: The Sibling Experience. 31. An Unexpected Blessing, Kimberly M. Bittner. 32. Growing Up with Bradley, Stephanie Coyle. 33. Living Life, Katherine Flaschen. 34. Their Sound has Gone Out, Susan Ironside. 35. Why Am I So Resentful? Lydia Liang. 36. My Brother...Ahhhhhhhh! Zoë Naseef. PART IV: Diagnosed on the Spectrum. 37. No! You Don't Understand, Beth Adler. 38. It Never Rains... Simon Brodie. 39. ...It Pours, Sarah Brodie. 40. Melt(d)ing Down, Rauidhri Finn. 41. Relativity, Auriela van Hulsteyn (Finn's spouse). 42. Essay on Autism, Heidi Kunisch. 43. The way we think, Roger N. Meyer. 44. The Chains of Friendship: An Autistic Person's Perspective on Interpersonal Relationships, Alex Mont. 45. Jordan's Gift, Todd Schmidt. 46. The Importance of Parents in the Success of People with Autism, Stephen Shore. 47. Culture, Conditions and Personhood: A Response by Donna Williams to the Cure Autism Debate, Donna Williams. Part V: Working on the Spectrum. 48. A Sound from Kuwait, Samira Al-Saad. 49. Learning from Oliver, Margaret Anderson. 50. Closet Case: Finding the Way Out, Cindy N. Ariel. 51. The Wizard of Echolalia, Gerard Costa. 52. Two Autistic Children - A World of Difference, Pim Donkersloot (translated by Jill Adler-Donkersloot). 53. Life as a Cooking Pot, Anne Marie Gallagher. 54. Moving to the Heart of the Matter, Gayle Gates. 55. Circle of Devotion, Trish Miron. 56. Playing with Hudson, Eric R. Mitchell. 57. The Path of Acceptance for Families, Robert Naseef. 58. The Challenges of Autism: An Introspection, Bertram Ruttenberg. 59. No Looking Back, Fiona Scott. 60. Spiderman at Mini-Camp, Lillilan N. Stiegler. Appendix.