Autism and the God Connection: Redefining the Autistic Experience Through Extraordinary Accounts of Spiritual Giftedness
A powerful, groundbreaking new book for anyone touched by autism!\ Autism has captured the world's attention as the neurological disorder that impacts one out of every 166 children-ten times higher than just ten years ago. Despite the international scrambling of scientists to provide an explanation, there remains no single known cause for the rise in autism. Autism and the God Connection is the first book of its kind to view autism through a spiritual prism, unlocking its hidden meaning....
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A powerful, groundbreaking new book for anyone touched by autism. Booklist In certain cultures, people with illnesses affecting the ability to communicate are thought to be visited by spirits. The sufferer may be regarded as a messenger for a deity, an anointed one to be revered and honored. Sadly, Western culture often relegates those diagnosed with autism and related disorders to the ranks of the incurably crippled. Worse, almost everyone, from family members to friends to primary caregivers, too easily writes off the intelligence of a person who has difficulty speaking. So written off, the sufferer is discounted and ignored. Stillman, who has Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, speaks out on behalf of the wisdom of considering people with autism as not just intelligent but also highly spiritual. Drawing on testimony from dozens of parents, teachers, and autistic individuals, he builds a solid case in favor of not just his mantra 'always presume intelligence' but also of thinking that God's most challenged people possess a deep, abiding spirituality.
IntroductionPart One: A PATH TO OPPORTUNITY Chapter One: Making Miracles Chapter Two: Surrendering to SerendipityPart Two: DIVINE EXPERIENCESChapter Three: Speaking in SilenceChapter Four: Spiritual Protectors Chapter Five: Angels in the Atmosphere Part Three: VALIDATIONSChapter Six: Izzy Chapter Seven: Ghosts in the Laboratory Chapter Eight: The Ladybug Story Chapter Nine: Full Circle Appendix A: Bibliography Appendix B: Additional Resources About the Author
\ BooklistIn certain cultures, people with illnesses affecting the ability to communicate are thought to be visited by spirits. The sufferer may be regarded as a messenger for a deity, an anointed one to be revered and honored. Sadly, Western culture often relegates those diagnosed with autism and related disorders to the ranks of the incurably crippled. Worse, almost everyone, from family members to friends to primary caregivers, too easily writes off the intelligence of a person who has difficulty speaking. So written off, the sufferer is discounted and ignored. Stillman, who has Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, speaks out on behalf of the wisdom of considering people with autism as not just intelligent but also highly spiritual. Drawing on testimony from dozens of parents, teachers, and autistic individuals, he builds a solid case in favor of not just his mantra'always presume intelligence'but also of thinking that God's most challenged people possess a deep, abiding spirituality.\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalA writer with Asperger's syndrome, a mild version of autism, Stillman (Demystifying the Autistic Experience: A Humanistic Introduction for Parents, Caregivers, and Educators) treads a highly sensitive subject: the connection between autism and faith in God. Many parents of autistic children have taken a similar slant (see Lynne M. Hamilton's Facing Autism: Giving Parents Reasons for Hope and Guidance for Help and Catherine Maurice's Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism). Stillman tries to shed light on the condition by tying together a wide variety of personal narratives (the best part of the book) with a broader spiritual message. While the conclusions might provide comfort for some, many, if not most, will find them insulting. Stillman cites the ability of autistics to connect better with animals, to offer "profound" messages when communicating, and to exhibit a sense of telepathy with those around them before concluding that people with autism are "messengers of God." Such a simplistic view contributes very little toward understanding autism. This book has extremely limited appeal and is not recommended for libraries.-Corey Seeman, Kresge Business Administration Lib., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \
