The Autism Matrix (ePub)

Today autism has become highly visible. Once you begin to look for
it, you realize it is everywhere. Why? We all know the answer or
think we do: there is an autism epidemic. And if it is an epidemic,
then we know what must be done: lots of money must be thrown at it,
detection centers must be established and explanations sought, so
that the number of new cases can be brought down and the epidemic
brought under control.



But can it really be so simple? This major new book offers a very
different interpretation. The authors argue that the recent rise in
autism should be understood an "aftershock" of the real
earthquake, which was the deinstitutionalization of mental
retardation in the mid-1970s. This entailed a radical
transformation not only of the institutional matrix for dealing
with developmental disorders of childhood, but also of the cultural
lens through which we view them. It opened up a space for viewing
and treating childhood disorders as neither mental illness nor
mental retardation, neither curable nor incurable, but somewhere
in-between. The authors show that where deinstitutionalization went
the furthest, as in Scandinavia, UK and the "blue"
states of the US, autism rates are also highest. Where it was
absent or delayed, as in France, autism rates are low.



Combining a historical narrative with international comparison,
The Autism Matrix offers a fresh and powerful analysis of a
condition that affects many parents and children today.