Autism Soccer: Neurotribes: A Look Into the Autism Legacy

This book tries to shape conventional thinking regarding autisctic people, suggesting various models for acceptance.

Society today has an erratic perception of what autism is. Most of the information and news are in some way “altered” by writers and clinicians who keep stating autism as a “disease” that needs to be cured. Luckily, there’s a ray of light into autism understanding through the eyes of Steve Silberman’s new book, Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the future of neurodiversity. I’ll be posting a review of what he’s trying to transmit hoping that it will open your mind towards autism.

At first, the book is a look back into the first acts of what he calls the “neurotypical” (people who are neurologically normal) and all those acts of inhumanity towards the people who were labeled as “different.” While reading, you can tell the book shows us how much damage people have inflicted to those with autism through the years.

You can tell the human inclination to gather and continuously build walls around ideas and shared beliefs. Shamefully, when these ideas are wrong, this tendency can distort reality. The book tries to tell us that people misunderstand and has a veiled vision of autism, causing the "neurotribe" known as autistic people to be excluded from society.

Through the book’s history, Silberman exposes the “neurodiversity” movement, which consists of a group of activists seeking for support, a proper environment in workplaces and education institutes, as well as the right to be accepted as individuals with cognitive differences.

By the end of the book, there’s a positive view of this condition, giving a more realistic and personal definition of autism. The author tries to tell us that this condition plays a bigger part in society than people think. The whole book is actually trying to show us the real colors of autism.

This is a brief sum up of the book, which is why I recommend that you get one yourself and read it. You will understand what autism represents today. Also, if you’re willing to support initiatives that help autistic children, you could enter Autism Soccer’s website and collaborate. They’ll appreciate your support!