Acknowledgments. Foreword by Theo Peeters. Introduction. 1. Sensory Realities. 2. Filtering Model 3. Side-Notes: A Few Questions to Ask. 4. Gestalt Perception. 5. Sensory Perceptual Development. 6. Hidden Agenda of Language. 7. Non-Verbal Communication. 8. Sensory Hypersensitivities. 9. Side-Notes: Before We Go Further. 10. Extrasensory Realities in Autism. End Notes. References. Index.
Examining the 'whys' and 'hows' of the senses, the role of language in our concept of 'normality' and how autism can illuminate our understanding of what it means to be human
Professor Olga Bogdashina, MA, PhD, DEd, CO-founder of and
Programme Leader (Autism courses) at the International Autism
Institute, KSPU and co-founder of the International Consortium of
Autism Institutes.
She has worked extensively in the field of autism as a teacher,
lecturer and researcher, with a particular interest in
sensory-perceptual, cognitive and communication problems. She is a
Visiting Professor in Autism Studies at universities around the
world, develops university (Autism Study) courses and training
programmes for professionals and parents, presents at national and
international autism conferences and is an autism consultant for
services for children and adults.
Olga has an adult son with autism and lives in Yorkshire, UK.
Olga Bogdashina beautifully presents the case for autism being,
essentially, a difference in the way we process sensory
information... it is refreshing to read a book where an academic
freely speaks her mind, and this is a valuable book to have towards
the ongoing explanation of what autism is and how to see the world
through our eyes.
*Asperger United*
Recognition of difference is, in essence, what this brave book is
about. The author, who has worked extensively in the field of
autism as a teacher, lecturer and researcher, and has an adult son
with autism, draws on ideas from a wide range of disciplines,
finding, for instance, that explanations for some of the
peculiarities of sensory perception in autistic people can be found
in works of anthropology and philosophy dating back a century or
two... Autism isn't always about having deficits or having less;
sometimes it is about having more. I was particularly interested in
the section showing how autistic people can actually 'resonate'
with their surroundings much more than 'normal' people can... At
the end of this stimulating and highly readable book, Bogdashina
comes back to the restricting stance of the official scientific
community, which is "so opposed to anything conceived as
supernatural that those who genuinely try to understand these (not
necessarily supernatural but yet unexplained) phenomena are afraid
to speak out... She makes a plea for more open-mindedness and for a
greater willingness to learn from autism about different ways to
experience the world around us.`
*Human Givens*
Whether your interest in autism is personal or professional, this
magnificent book will appeal to you. The author Olga Bogdashina has
worked widely on matters to do with the condition. She is a
teacher, researcher and lecturer. She lectures around the world.
She was recently in Inverness and is an inspiring and motivational
speaker. She's the director of the first day centre for autistic
children in Ukraine. She also has a grown-up son with autism ...
Bogdashina unpacks all our assumptions about the 'real' world. She
asserts that 'neurotypicals' (non-autistic people) are restricted –
"the verbal determines and confines their thinking" ... I endorse
every word of the blurb – read this book and you'll learn a lot
about autism – but more importantly you'll learn about
yourself.
*Anne Stormont, Write Enough blog*
The book makes use of the personal experiences of autistic people,
including Temple Grandin and Donna Williams. Their own words help
illustrate a vibrant world that many non-autistic people are cut
off from. Bogdashina also delves into the studies and reports of
many established scientists, both to support her own statements and
to offer alternative viewpoints. While her writing is lovely and
inspiring, it is always based in scientific methodology and
reflects her respect for scientific process. While other educators
and researchers will find much to ponder on this book, Bogdashina's
writing is also accessible to readers without advanced degrees.
Even when dealing with complex subject matter, her writing is lucid
and engaging. Readers looking for answers about autism will find
Bogdashina's books fresh and useful; anyone interested in the
questions of consciousness and experience will find it
riveting.
*ForeWord Reviews*
Brilliantly, Olga weaves together science and real life experiences
of people with autism bringing the reader to a greater
understanding of how sensory differences can bring people with
autism to the edges and beyond of neurotypical perception. This
book has my highest recommendation for anyone wanting to learn more
about sensory awareness and perception for people with autism - as
well as for themselves.
*Stephen Shore, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Special Education at
Adelphi University and internationally known author, presenter, and
consultant on issues related to autism.*
This is an entrancing read and an excellent reflection of Dr.
Bogdashina's wide range of interests. It is to her credit as an
academician that she draws upon such varied subjects as philosophy
and quantum mechanics to illustrate her thought process and call
into question different aspects of our individuality.
*Manuel Casanova, Gottfried and Gisela Kolb Endowed Chair in
Psychiatry, University of Louisville*
Olga Bogdashina's book is a magnificent and much-needed account of
the nature of sensory differences in autism, full of fresh,
fascinating and perceptive insights.
*Adam Feinstein, autism researcher, Autism Cymru, and editor of
Looking Up*
This book gives an interesting and theoretical insight into
different sensory experiences of individuals with autism spectrum
disorder. The key points are about the difficulties individuals
have with 'filtering' stimuli, and how this leads to sensory
deprivation. The author links in experiences of individuals with
autism to reinforce the key points and help make the information
more accessible.
*Speech & Language Therapy in Practice*
In Autism and the Edges of the Known World, Bogdashina demonstrates
in a compelling way how autism can provide us with rich,
irreducible clues about how we are able to comprehend the world as
it is and communicate that knowledge effectively in language. Her
encyclopaedic acquaintance with the subject, both in terms of
empirical research and theoretical reflection, is vertiginous in
its detail and illuminating in its depth. Autism, with its sensory
deficits and distortions, provides us with a uniquely valuable
prism for rendering the mystery of all 'creaturely knowing' as a
subtle dialectic between that which is primordially close and that
which sublimely different.
*Dr Ian Kenway, Director of the Centre for the international Study
of Cyberethics and Human Rights, Cardiff University*
Will open a few minds to the idea of neurodiversity in the way
autistic brains function and appreciation for some of the
extraordinary abilities that the autistic individual has to offer
society...For any professional who works with autistic individuals
and researchers in the field of autism this is a must read book! It
explains a perspective that, thus far, is pretty much ignored. As
an occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration, as
well as an adult on the autism spectrum, I feel that Dr. Bogdashina
makes a lot of sense.
*Making Sense of Autism, LLC*
Autism and the Edges of the Known World: Sensitivites, Language and
the Constructed Reality blends science and the experiences of
people with autism in a fine survey considering traditional ideas
of sensory perception and how they pertain to the autism
experience. Linguistics, philosophy, science and health alike blend
in a wider survey of how the sense and language interact
differently in the autistic individual - and how autism can help
foster new concepts of what it means to be human.
*The Midwest Book Review*
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