I interview Steve Silberman about his bestselling book, Neurotribes

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I so share Steve Silberman's hope that ASD people will take control and ownership of the dominant and mainstream ASD narrative. As I see it, a tremendous amount of flow on issues depend on that.

There are many issues in the interview which I will have to read several times to consider them a bit more thoroughly. Great interview!

Alex, thanks for sharing this interview. It's very insightful and a great extension to NeuroTribes.

I also greatly appreciate what Steve is doing. It's fantastic to have such a thorough and thoughtful NT ally.

"Reputation management"...
Good interview. I read all of it. By good I mean great.

Wow, Alex, really good stuff.

Excellent interview, I will be treating myself to the book for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I remember the 'geeks' wired article too. Fascinating read with the potential to change how we are perceived.

As an aside, I always liked the Sacks story about 'Witty Ticcy Dave(?)' about the guy with Tourette's and when he took the medication to control some of his tics, he simply wasn't himself and everybody missed the real guy, the witty ticcy guy. He stopped the meds and everybody was delighted they got their friend back, tics and all.

Thank you for the write up Alex.

My copy should be arriving on my doormat tomorrow morning.

This could be the start of the groundswell we have been waiting and hoping for. I hope Silberman's book acts as a catalyst to release and mobilise those wonderful ASD gifts that can act transform received ideas into fresh perspectives and understandings that change everything, and people generally look back and realise how ignorant past beliefs were. Reputation management for now is so important, one important early step toward the ultimate achievement of paradigm change. This would progress most rapidly, I think, as a dynamic partnership between people like Silberman - informed, skilled, sympathetic, supportive and willing to share the advocacy and work ahead - and leaders from the spectrum with similar gifts and dedication.

I think the book has already been immensely powerful in changing the conversation in the media regarding autism.

I have a dream....!

The major stumbling block we suffer where we do have incredible intellectual property is the lack of skill at selling ourselves.

Any dumb plonka with a silver tongue can woo the masses out there and even leap frog you and your abilities. Having mastered the world so to speak with my brain, I now have to go out and sell myself (if I am to get any social kudos of the money making skills I have. I might have to give self hypnosis a go.).

I think our unwillingness to speak out about things also hinders our cause. And when we do speak out we are not always the best at doing so in an appealing way.