Can I get your opinion

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I agree with this. Defining Autism means the defining part is active and ongoing, not at all offensive to me. Autism Defined I would take as you think you know everything, you have figured out and are telling us all the definition of autism. That would be offensive to me.

Thanks for your input.

The book is definitely a reflection of my scientific process, which has always been focused on working toward a biological definition of autism (if that's ever possible of course). Without that kind of definition, our scientific work just kind of wanders aimlessly because we don't know what autism "is" exactly. For instance, there's clearly different causes of autism if you look just at the genetic syndromes, let alone all the incredible variability in the rest of the spectrum; but does autism as a whole have some commonality, even if it's at a higher level of the biological system? Is there something particular the way that cells communicate with one another? Is it the way in which brain systems communicate? We just don't know. And without that, autism is kind of this mysterious entity because, other than behaviors, nobody particularly knows what it is other than in an intuitive, gut-based sense.

So "Defining Autism" reflects my journey and fascination in studying autism and all the perspectives I've studied it from so far. Ten years from now, I'm sure I'd have even more chapters to add because of looking at it from even more perspectives. Even now, with my recent research, I would have liked to have added a section on the autonomic nervous system in autism. There will always be something new and fascinating to add.

So I wanted to follow up and let you all know how this whole thing turned out. I took the results of the focus group to the publishers (thanks to all of you!) and they agreed and are okay with the "Defining Autism" title, which I'm happy about. We had a few more minor discussions about subtitles and finally agreed on:

Defining Autism: A Guide to Brain, Biology, and Behavior.

I particularly liked the B-B-B alliteration in the subtitle. I wasn't overly thrilled with the word "guide" but they were rather insistent and said it would sell well, so I acquiesced. (Actually, my subtitle proposal was "An Exploration of the Spectrum through the Lens of Science" but they said there weren't enough searchable keywords in there that described the contents of the book, which could hurt sales.)

We've also got the cover designed (I'm not sure I can share that here for publication reasons?) but it's basically a head with a brain and the brain is composed of a maze. It's kinda cool.

Anywho, I wanted to thank everyone who critiqued the book title. It's definitely helped and I hope you all (and the rest of WP) likes the book when it comes out.

Have you defined which model of autism you are using as a basis for defining autism?

http://www.making-prsp-inclusive.org/en ... odels.html

I don't care for the title, it's too ambiguous, and definitions of autism are many. You need to be clear about where you are coming from, and define your own overall definition - if you haven't already done so.

I agree with you on the word guide, your subtitle is better. Publishers will be publishers. Congratulations!

Firstly, congrats on the book!

And, the title doesn't seem at all off-putting to me. If absolutely nothing else it is an accurate summary of what the book is about from what you describe the content as.

I like the title but I'm afraid that it might be a little too generic for the Publishers' tastes and maybe they simply want you to be a little more esoteric?

I look forward to reading it so let us know when you get it published and the final title hey?

Defining is not a correct term, perhaps Exploring Autism. Because you are exploring causes, rather than defining the actual condition (which in it's self is a variable spectrum).

The book is pretty wide-sweeping and rather than attempting to literally define autism, it's basically the continuation of an ongoing discussion. So the title is more metaphoric than it sounds. The last chapter does attempt to identify major structures/systems of the brain that are probably responsible for the "core" features of autism based on lesion studies in the literature. But the takehome message is that autism is very heterogeneous (while still being the same syndrome).



Thank you!! (And, yes, I am learning very quickly that publishers will DEFINITELY be publishers.)



Great! I'm glad you think it's a good title.



Well, the "Defining Autism" one is definitely the final title. As far as the subtitle, they actually didn't want anything esoteric, they wanted something more concrete, almost like a laundry list. The first subtitle they kept pushing was something like, "Genetic, Environmental, and Neurological Syndromes of Autism." For one, "autism" would've been repeated twice, in the titlte and then subtitle. Second, the subtitle they wanted was actually inaccurate, because while I have written about some syndromes, I really talk about these areas (especially genetics and environment) as "factors" not syndromes. And finally "neurological" is a specific term that reflects the field of neurology, which usually focuses on things like epilepsy, headaches, neurodegenerative disorders, and motor disorders. (It took me awhile to communicate to them that they weren't using the term "neurological" correctly.)

Anywho, the final agreed-upon title is "Defining Autism: A Guide to Brain, Biology, and Behavior."

I have no problem with the title at all. I think if it describes the content of the book it is fine. And I like that you are on the Spectrum yourself. I find it offensive when NTs write books and articles and claim to be defining Autism and all they write is superficial stereotypical fluff. If I saw your book with that title and saw that you were on the Spectrum, I would definitely pick it up and look at it.

Interesting point.

If the book is about finding the boundary line where autism ends and where non autism begins (or about figuring out what conditions should be lumped into "autism", and which should not be) then "defining autism" is a good title.

But if its a journey into any and all aspects of autism (causes, variations, brain structure, nature vs nurture etc) then it would make more sense to call it "exploring autism".

I think that we should not ONLY find the boundary, we should also build a wall! And make the NTs pay for it! Because NTs are rapists and murderers (though some, I am sure, are good people).

Cool. Although admittedly I don't tend to advertise (professionally) about my diagnosis. Even though I study autism, it's not something, for instance, one always wants one's boss to know unless one's really requiring accommodations. I need some accommodations for my dysautonomia and connective tissue disorder stuff, but my work environment is pretty laid back, which works well for me. I'm in a quiet office that I share with my husband, who's also in autism research, we make our own hours, and I just work on my computer. Can't get much better than that!



Yeah, actually "Exploring Autism" is pretty good. Although the publishers are now set on "Defining Autism." (I've had such headaches with them for months and months over title issues I'm kinda keen just to let the issue slide.) And, at least from my own professional journey, "Defining Autism" is one of my major goals (if it's possible). It comes from a lack of good definitions of autism beyond just behaviors. We have rough definitions of things like cancer, i.e., we kinda understand the basic biological process. (Not saying autism is like cancer, but from a biological perspective it's a good contrasting example.) So for me, working to understand the basic underlying biological processes of autism, and whether, given it's heterogeneity, there's anything generalizable is a MAJOR focus of my career. Kinda my obsession, if you will. So I do feel emotionally drawn to "Defining Autism," even if there may be better book titles out there.



I'm a progressive. I'm all about breaking down barriers. Let the NTs in: somebody's gotta do the normal boring jobs! LOL

There's already a book with a title that starts as "Defining Autism.." so there might be confusion between that and your title.

How can I do that for a living? I am very serious when I ask. I am looking for a way to do that sort of thing. I have also written a book about the particulars of my Autism which I need to publish. I write under a pseudonym not that that matters since no one here knows who I am anyway . But researching Autism is one of my special interests and I am virtually unemployable and trying to survive. I am not getting any assistance at all and am living well below the poverty level. But researching Autism is a special interest of mine and I would really love to be able to make a living doing that as well as advocating for Autistics. Do you think you can help me figure out how I can do that?

Well I do research, and admittedly sometimes I have to crawl out of my office to coordinate research studies. But for the most part, I analyze data and write on my laptop. In terms of research, bioinformatics can be a good area to go into because that's a lot of computer work. (I do some bioinformatics, but of late I've done online survey studies and designing and running some clinical studies.)

Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that the book was just released today. Thank you so much for all your help and input. It really made a difference! I hope for anyone here who reads it, you find the science interesting. We've tried to cram a lot into a little space!

https://www.amazon.com/Defining-Autism-Guide-Biology-Behavior/dp/1785927221/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539881772&sr=8-1&keywords=defining+autism