It seems to have taken three years, looking
at the publication date, for this brilliant insight into autism to reach
the other side of the Atlantic. But thank God it finally did, for rarely
have I come across a more comprehensive guide to a disorder which, in its
multitude and variety of presentation, can be mind boggling for anyone
having to work with people afflicted by it. The book is thus aimed at a
wide readership, starting from counselling psychologists who may be
involved in diagnosis and treatment, teachers and parents who are living
with and training people with autism, and of course students of psychology
who may want to find out the basic facts about the disorder.
Any advice given, any technique explained - all refer and are applied to
patients of all age groups: the toddler, pre-school child, pupil, up to
the young adult. Every chapter starts with a poem by David Eastham, a
young man with autism who only learned to communicate with the help of a
computer at the age of 19. These poems are a reflection of the torments of
the soul of a person with autism, thus shedding an important light on the
whole question of feeling and empathy and their connections with autism.
They have the function of drawing the reader right into each chapter’s
revelations. It becomes obvious from the word go that the author, who has
worked in the field of autism for more than 25 years, is not only
extremely knowledgeable on the subject, but also on a mission: she wants
us to understand and realise how much more can be done than one ever
suspected possible.
The book consists of six parts, each of which again contains a number of
chapters. Private stories and anecdotes illustrate facts and extensive
case studies. The volume contains a number of questionnaires and record
keeping forms which may be reproduced and used in various settings.
Part one of the book, entitled the Nature of Autism, and the four chapters
contained therein can be seen as the core or skeleton of the publication.
It gives plenty of cross-references to other chapters or publications and
basically concentrates on symptoms, learning styles common in autism,
effects on language and communication and behavioural phenomena and
deficiencies. It contains a very helpful analogy. Janzen compares the
functions of a brain to those of a computer and sheds light on the
discrepancies of a brain affected by autism. To give you one example. The
input system is described as a video camera and most of us are able to
scan the environment and direct the camera towards imortant events. A
person affected by autism however may have little control of their camera
and may never take in the whole picture. They may record but small
details, which may then contain bits and pieces of unrelated information.
The end of each chapter contains a summary which helps the reader to gain
a quick overview of what the chapter is about. Thus it is possible to read
it out of sequence and concentrate on those areas relevant to one’s
present work or interest.
The rest of the book continues in this vein: part two discussing the
questions related to assessment, part three those of which program to
chose for which client, part four discusses a multitude of interventions,
whereas part five concentrates on teaching new skills. Part six finally
adds insight into ‘managing difficult problems’, and the book finishes
with a collection of family stories.
As you can see from the layout, the book encourages you to use it hands on
and since I got hold of it I have certainly treated it as a goldmine not
only working with children on the autistic continuum but also applying
some of the interventions in the field of ADD. Two areas of criticism
remain: many references to organisations and resources available are
US/Texas specific and cannot be applied here in the U.K. Secondly the book
costs £52,-- (Paperback) which is a lot of money for an individual’s
purse. Otherwise Janzen presents herself as an author who has it all -
knowledge, experience and a big heart, and all these qualities are
reflected in ‘Understanding the Nature of Autism’.
P.S. - a personal note
On March 23 1990 a 22 year old man with autism jumped from a
special-school window in Hong Kong, in terror at being forced to eat food
he was unaccustomed to. In 1999 he won damages from the school over the
incident, which had put him in hospital for months. Had Janzen’s book been
available to his teachers and trainers, it is unlikely this incident would
have occurred.
Patrizia Collard (PhD) Stress Management
Consultant and Psychotherapist
