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Reframe Your Thinking Around Autism: How the Polyvagal Theory and Brain Plasticity Help Us Make Sense of Autism
Outlining a new, optimistic way to understand autism, this concise and accessible book offers practical ideas to help children on the spectrum grow.The Polyvagal Theory suggests autism is a learnt response by the body - a result of the child being in a prolonged state of 'fight or flight' while their nervous system is still developing. This book explains the theory in simple terms and incorporates recent developments in brain plasticity research (the capacity of the brain to change throughout life) to give parents and professionals the tools to strengthen the child's brain-body connection and lessen the social and emotional impact of autism.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2014
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October 25, 2021
Aside from the problematic concept of Polyvagal Theory being a one-stop shop and its quiet, pervasive insistence that we can 'cure' autism with a bit of jiggery-pokery, I want to just draw attention to the type of language used in this book, which I find troubling and offensive.
I will take an excerpt just from the first page, which illustrates in almost every sentence a clichéd and outmoded language to talk about autism:
'Autism is a part of a life. The people who experience it have a life, and autism is a part of it. A lot of people with autism find that it gives them heightened intuition; they feel it can inform their life beautifully, as much as it can be a disruption. Autists don't necessarily want to become normal. But they do want to engage with the world better. Autists are bright people stuck in a body that doesn't respond for them. They are shut off by their body from the rest of the world. This can be frightening and difficult and it does not always bring out their best. Autism can be mild or it can be full blown. Autists can have an openness to the world that sometimes shuts down, or they can always be shut down. For the autist it feels as if they are shut out.'
The sweeping generalisations that are placed on an incredibly diverse population as all sharing a commonality of experience is misguided at best, damaging at worst. Let's break down some of the above:
"Autists don't necessarily want to become normal".
The term 'Autist' is very contentious. Within the autistic community, it's very much understood as a term reclaimed, in other words, a term which can only be rightfully used by autistic people themselves, about themselves. In the same way that a disabled person might choose to use the word 'cripple' to describe themselves. It's not an acceptable language to use to describe other disabled people. These are terms that are highly personal choices. Outside of that, the label is often understood to be offensive and derogatory.
The term 'normal' should NEVER be used when attempting to distinguish between a neurodivergent (ND) population and a neurotypical (NT, or predominant neurotypical, PNT) population. These terms are well-established, and while the tapestry of language is constantly and forever changing in an attempt to define with greater clarity the things we talk about, this more humanistic and current terminology is there to be used; use it.
"But they do want to engage with the world better".
'They'? Again, sweeping generalisation. And who is to say that any number of those with autism want that at all? Perhaps 'some' do. But many others may greatly wish for the reverse to occur; for the 'world' (what is that?) to better engage with autism!
"Autists are bright people stuck in a body that doesn't respond for them".
That old chestnut? NO. A note for parents of children with autism: There is not a little boy/girl 'trapped' inside an autistic body that is just dying to get out. Autism is integral to an autistic person's neurodevelopmental make-up. One does not exist without the other. There can be significant challenges that come with autism, but also incredible insights and strengths. Many autistic people feel that autism defines them and that can result in a powerful identity of empowerment. Others will feel differently. Again, please challenge the sentence. There is a great saying that those in the autism community will be familiar with: 'Once you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.' The expression exists to permit the acknowledgment of the sheer heterogeneity of autism.
As to the part about being stuck in a 'body that doesn't respond for them', I would suggest that whole sentence needs rethinking. The autistic body responds alright! In fact, that may be the one and only common truth that unites autistic people. Regardless of whether sensory processing discrepancies are present, autism does generally have physical manifestations, whether that be hyper-responsivity, hypo-responsivity, 'meltdowns', 'shutdowns', etc. These are bodies actively engaged in the pressures and pleasures of the external world, and respond accordingly. It might not look like a neurotypical response, but a response it is!
"They are shut off by their body from the rest of the world".
More of the same. Again, there needs to be care with language. It may be much more helpful to focus instead on a potential disparity between self-referential processing (relaying the external back to 'self') and that person's idiosyncratic response to that (be that physical manifestations, repetitive mannerisms, or the ability to verbally express thoughts and feelings), than to imply that the autistic person is somehow unaware of their own bodily sensations or even existence.
"Autism can be mild or it can be full blown".
'Mild', and 'full blown' are incredibly clumsy and unhelpful terms. They actually don't mean anything, because currently under the definitions and criteria laid out by the DSM-5 and the ICD-11, there is not a differentiation between even 'Asperger's' and 'Autism'. 'Asperger's' was so rife with misunderstandings and with no good, universally understood gradation system that it was rightly abandoned eight years ago from current diagnostic methods.
To say someone's autism is 'mild' implies that the person will not struggle very much or be very much affected by autism. But as environment can have such an enormous impact on the outcome of autistic difficulties, the way a person experiences their autistic life can change, sometimes radically and sometimes within the same day, depending on the pressures of his/her/their environment. Equally, to speak of someone with 'full blown' autism removes their agency from them and denies them their experience. For example, supposing author Holly Bridges means 'full blown' to describe an autistic person who is unable to dress themselves or communicate verbally and relies on round-the-clock care, this descriptive term negates any understanding of a possible movement of those conditions. Equally, there are autistic adults who are incredibly articulate and eloquent, but who need to wear nappies/diapers throughout their whole lives and need a live-in carer. Such a person would no doubt also be deemed 'full blown' by that statement, but one only needs to look at the life of someone like Ros Blackburn (who happens to also be a Keynote speaker) to realise that compartmentalising people according to a spectrum as to their specific and static placement is arbitrary. Autism doesn't change, but the impact of the difficulties associated with autism can and does change at different times in a person's life. A better mode of thinking is to engage with something known as a 'spiky profile' that harks back to my earlier point on the heterogeneity of autism.
"For the autist it feels as if they are shut out".
Another generalisation. Perhaps some autistic people do feel this way. Perhaps others will have a very different perspective.
It's natural to want to define certain things. We need ways to navigate the world of autism with language, and it can sometimes feel treacherous terrain because there is so much diversity, and one thing that might be true of one autistic person may well be a completely unrelatable experience for another, and yet they would both be on the spectrum. Great care is needed.
Unfortunately, the statements are carried with a weight of authority in this book, and for this reason readers should take umbrage with that. A person reading this book may be doing so for all the right reasons, to help someone they care about, but sadly they may come away with some very poor understandings and misunderstandings of the very people they would like to help.
I will take an excerpt just from the first page, which illustrates in almost every sentence a clichéd and outmoded language to talk about autism:
'Autism is a part of a life. The people who experience it have a life, and autism is a part of it. A lot of people with autism find that it gives them heightened intuition; they feel it can inform their life beautifully, as much as it can be a disruption. Autists don't necessarily want to become normal. But they do want to engage with the world better. Autists are bright people stuck in a body that doesn't respond for them. They are shut off by their body from the rest of the world. This can be frightening and difficult and it does not always bring out their best. Autism can be mild or it can be full blown. Autists can have an openness to the world that sometimes shuts down, or they can always be shut down. For the autist it feels as if they are shut out.'
The sweeping generalisations that are placed on an incredibly diverse population as all sharing a commonality of experience is misguided at best, damaging at worst. Let's break down some of the above:
"Autists don't necessarily want to become normal".
The term 'Autist' is very contentious. Within the autistic community, it's very much understood as a term reclaimed, in other words, a term which can only be rightfully used by autistic people themselves, about themselves. In the same way that a disabled person might choose to use the word 'cripple' to describe themselves. It's not an acceptable language to use to describe other disabled people. These are terms that are highly personal choices. Outside of that, the label is often understood to be offensive and derogatory.
The term 'normal' should NEVER be used when attempting to distinguish between a neurodivergent (ND) population and a neurotypical (NT, or predominant neurotypical, PNT) population. These terms are well-established, and while the tapestry of language is constantly and forever changing in an attempt to define with greater clarity the things we talk about, this more humanistic and current terminology is there to be used; use it.
"But they do want to engage with the world better".
'They'? Again, sweeping generalisation. And who is to say that any number of those with autism want that at all? Perhaps 'some' do. But many others may greatly wish for the reverse to occur; for the 'world' (what is that?) to better engage with autism!
"Autists are bright people stuck in a body that doesn't respond for them".
That old chestnut? NO. A note for parents of children with autism: There is not a little boy/girl 'trapped' inside an autistic body that is just dying to get out. Autism is integral to an autistic person's neurodevelopmental make-up. One does not exist without the other. There can be significant challenges that come with autism, but also incredible insights and strengths. Many autistic people feel that autism defines them and that can result in a powerful identity of empowerment. Others will feel differently. Again, please challenge the sentence. There is a great saying that those in the autism community will be familiar with: 'Once you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.' The expression exists to permit the acknowledgment of the sheer heterogeneity of autism.
As to the part about being stuck in a 'body that doesn't respond for them', I would suggest that whole sentence needs rethinking. The autistic body responds alright! In fact, that may be the one and only common truth that unites autistic people. Regardless of whether sensory processing discrepancies are present, autism does generally have physical manifestations, whether that be hyper-responsivity, hypo-responsivity, 'meltdowns', 'shutdowns', etc. These are bodies actively engaged in the pressures and pleasures of the external world, and respond accordingly. It might not look like a neurotypical response, but a response it is!
"They are shut off by their body from the rest of the world".
More of the same. Again, there needs to be care with language. It may be much more helpful to focus instead on a potential disparity between self-referential processing (relaying the external back to 'self') and that person's idiosyncratic response to that (be that physical manifestations, repetitive mannerisms, or the ability to verbally express thoughts and feelings), than to imply that the autistic person is somehow unaware of their own bodily sensations or even existence.
"Autism can be mild or it can be full blown".
'Mild', and 'full blown' are incredibly clumsy and unhelpful terms. They actually don't mean anything, because currently under the definitions and criteria laid out by the DSM-5 and the ICD-11, there is not a differentiation between even 'Asperger's' and 'Autism'. 'Asperger's' was so rife with misunderstandings and with no good, universally understood gradation system that it was rightly abandoned eight years ago from current diagnostic methods.
To say someone's autism is 'mild' implies that the person will not struggle very much or be very much affected by autism. But as environment can have such an enormous impact on the outcome of autistic difficulties, the way a person experiences their autistic life can change, sometimes radically and sometimes within the same day, depending on the pressures of his/her/their environment. Equally, to speak of someone with 'full blown' autism removes their agency from them and denies them their experience. For example, supposing author Holly Bridges means 'full blown' to describe an autistic person who is unable to dress themselves or communicate verbally and relies on round-the-clock care, this descriptive term negates any understanding of a possible movement of those conditions. Equally, there are autistic adults who are incredibly articulate and eloquent, but who need to wear nappies/diapers throughout their whole lives and need a live-in carer. Such a person would no doubt also be deemed 'full blown' by that statement, but one only needs to look at the life of someone like Ros Blackburn (who happens to also be a Keynote speaker) to realise that compartmentalising people according to a spectrum as to their specific and static placement is arbitrary. Autism doesn't change, but the impact of the difficulties associated with autism can and does change at different times in a person's life. A better mode of thinking is to engage with something known as a 'spiky profile' that harks back to my earlier point on the heterogeneity of autism.
"For the autist it feels as if they are shut out".
Another generalisation. Perhaps some autistic people do feel this way. Perhaps others will have a very different perspective.
It's natural to want to define certain things. We need ways to navigate the world of autism with language, and it can sometimes feel treacherous terrain because there is so much diversity, and one thing that might be true of one autistic person may well be a completely unrelatable experience for another, and yet they would both be on the spectrum. Great care is needed.
Unfortunately, the statements are carried with a weight of authority in this book, and for this reason readers should take umbrage with that. A person reading this book may be doing so for all the right reasons, to help someone they care about, but sadly they may come away with some very poor understandings and misunderstandings of the very people they would like to help.
January 14, 2021
The theory is interesting, but there are several red flags: lack of peer reviewed citations, multiple mentions of vaccines as possible cause (disproved by science), and multiple mentions of a cure. It will be interesting to see if this theory is backed up by scientific trials in the future, but right now all it is is a theory that is presented overly simplistically and as if it were fact.
December 23, 2020
While I appreciate the intentions behind this book, a few red flags stood out to me: first, the author speculated that autism may be caused by vaccines. Also, the polyvagal theory has been criticized for a lack of empirical support, and this book itself is not fully support by peer-reviewed resources. The author states that "Autism may not be a neurobiological disorder. It may be a learned response of the autonomic nervous system to trauma or an irritated vagal system.” AHH! No! There are literal MRI studies that have proven that autistic brains are authentically different.
On the other hand, I'm a yoga weirdo, so I really appreciate the mind-body approach. As an autistic person, developing an understanding of my mind and body has also helped me desensitize my nervous system and have better control over automatic responses that can have very disabling effects. So I think this book has its benefits, but it needs to be taken with a MASSIVE dose of salt, as a lot of the claims it makes are pseudoscientific. I also feel like the book represented autistic people in a somewhat problematic light – they're seen as "gifted" people who simply can't engage with the world. Well, some folks with autism can engage with the world (hello, that's me), and not all of us are Rain-man level geniuses. The true value of this book, IMO, lies in its focus on teaching autistic folks to tune into their bodies and develop a megacognitive understanding of their sensory systems and triggers.
On the other hand, I'm a yoga weirdo, so I really appreciate the mind-body approach. As an autistic person, developing an understanding of my mind and body has also helped me desensitize my nervous system and have better control over automatic responses that can have very disabling effects. So I think this book has its benefits, but it needs to be taken with a MASSIVE dose of salt, as a lot of the claims it makes are pseudoscientific. I also feel like the book represented autistic people in a somewhat problematic light – they're seen as "gifted" people who simply can't engage with the world. Well, some folks with autism can engage with the world (hello, that's me), and not all of us are Rain-man level geniuses. The true value of this book, IMO, lies in its focus on teaching autistic folks to tune into their bodies and develop a megacognitive understanding of their sensory systems and triggers.
December 23, 2020
While I appreciate the intentions behind this book, a few red flags stood out to me: first, the author speculated that autism may be caused by vaccines. Also, the polyvagal theory has been criticized for a lack of empirical support, and this book itself is not fully support by peer-reviewed resources. The author states that "Autism may not be a neurobiological disorder. It may be a learned response of the autonomic nervous system to trauma or an irritated vagal system.” AHH! No! There are literal MRI studies that have proven that autistic brains are authentically different.
On the other hand, I'm a yoga weirdo, so I really appreciate the mind-body approach. As an autistic person, developing an understanding of my mind and body has also helped me desensitize my nervous system and have better control over automatic responses that can have very disabling effects. So I think this book has its benefits, but it needs to be taken with a MASSIVE dose of salt, as a lot of the claims it makes are pseudoscientific. I also feel like the book represented autistic people in a somewhat problematic light – they're seen as "gifted" people who simply can't engage with the world. Well, some folks with autism can engage with the world (hello, that's me), and not all of us are Rain-man level geniuses. The true value of this book, IMO, lies in its focus on teaching autistic folks to tune into their bodies and develop a megacognitive understanding of their sensory systems and triggers.
On the other hand, I'm a yoga weirdo, so I really appreciate the mind-body approach. As an autistic person, developing an understanding of my mind and body has also helped me desensitize my nervous system and have better control over automatic responses that can have very disabling effects. So I think this book has its benefits, but it needs to be taken with a MASSIVE dose of salt, as a lot of the claims it makes are pseudoscientific. I also feel like the book represented autistic people in a somewhat problematic light – they're seen as "gifted" people who simply can't engage with the world. Well, some folks with autism can engage with the world (hello, that's me), and not all of us are Rain-man level geniuses. The true value of this book, IMO, lies in its focus on teaching autistic folks to tune into their bodies and develop a megacognitive understanding of their sensory systems and triggers.
March 17, 2022
I’m disappointed. As an autistic adult, I find the idea of autism as a learned response to be troubling. This idea implies that autism is something to be fixed or cured, when it should be celebrated. The book is perpetuating myths about autism that we are fighting so hard to dispel. Autism is natural and normal and we don’t need fixing, we need support, which looks different for every individual.
August 11, 2024
truly hated this book:
1. "autists" ??? autistic is not a dirty word, just say it
2. no, we are not all a little bit autistic
3. why does this 100 page book mention autism being caused by vaccines TWICE. even in 2015 that was ridiculous.
4. "curing" autism and rescinding diagnoses? polyvagal movement will help processing but it won't fundamentally change the fact the world is not set up for autistic people. just no.
1. "autists" ??? autistic is not a dirty word, just say it
2. no, we are not all a little bit autistic
3. why does this 100 page book mention autism being caused by vaccines TWICE. even in 2015 that was ridiculous.
4. "curing" autism and rescinding diagnoses? polyvagal movement will help processing but it won't fundamentally change the fact the world is not set up for autistic people. just no.
February 23, 2022
None of the theories presented in this book seemed to have been really researched and reviewed and studied. I didn't take much practical away from it and struggled with the way it was written/organized.
August 15, 2021
This book has some hugely problematic things (a great example would be suggesting a link between vaccines and autism which has been disproven) and a general energy of ‘we can cure autism’ which is really disheartening. Autism is a part of me, and the concept of curing it feels like a part of me being ripped out. I don’t need to be cured.
I’m giving it two stars because I do think concepts of neuroplasticity could be used to help me better cope with some of the less than ideal ways my autism effects me, so certain sections were interesting to read and I will do further research on.
If you read any book about autism, or humanity in general actually, and it has overarching ‘everyone’ or ‘they all’ type statements, I would be questioning the validity of whatever you’re reading, and this is no exception. The author does not speak for all autistic people, and I wish they had refrained from doing so.
I’m giving it two stars because I do think concepts of neuroplasticity could be used to help me better cope with some of the less than ideal ways my autism effects me, so certain sections were interesting to read and I will do further research on.
If you read any book about autism, or humanity in general actually, and it has overarching ‘everyone’ or ‘they all’ type statements, I would be questioning the validity of whatever you’re reading, and this is no exception. The author does not speak for all autistic people, and I wish they had refrained from doing so.
February 26, 2020
4.5 stars.
I read this for one of my assignments for university and it was so wonderful and insightful.
I have grown up around close family friends that have autism and so it was very nice to have a better insight and understanding of autism and how it can relate to the Polyvagal theory.
Everything this book was saying I completely agreed with and it made so much sense.
This book was also written in a way that was easy to follow through and was very understandable.
The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star, was because some bits were repetitive. However, I think that if anyone would like to know more about autism and perhaps why people have autism, than this is a great book for beginners.
I read this for one of my assignments for university and it was so wonderful and insightful.
I have grown up around close family friends that have autism and so it was very nice to have a better insight and understanding of autism and how it can relate to the Polyvagal theory.
Everything this book was saying I completely agreed with and it made so much sense.
This book was also written in a way that was easy to follow through and was very understandable.
The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star, was because some bits were repetitive. However, I think that if anyone would like to know more about autism and perhaps why people have autism, than this is a great book for beginners.
November 21, 2017
A very interesting and refreshing take on autism. Bridges bases a lot of her sense of autism on Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, which leads to much more unusual therapies and treatments than the traditional diagnosis of autism. It shows how mind-body therapies can greatly reduce most of the effects of autism, if not cure it. She gives leads you to lots of resources for treatment in the book and so it's quite an important tool for parents and therapists alike. I think more research needs to be done, but this book is definitely a beacon of hope.
April 5, 2021
Fantastic book for any working / living with / or just an interest in the polyvagal theory and or neurodivergence. Even though the book isn’t that old some of the tone is a little problematic but I think that is slightly cultural, slight down to how far we have moved on since the book was written, and as this was written to parents of autistic kids. However, the information is fantastic. It is enough technical and some very helpful strategies on making a difference going forwards. I would highly recommend this book.
October 4, 2020
An Explanation That works, Finally!
Holly explains how the polyvagal theory explains autism and what to do about it. Monumental work! Must read, contemplate and apply for autists and those who love them.
Holly explains how the polyvagal theory explains autism and what to do about it. Monumental work! Must read, contemplate and apply for autists and those who love them.
January 1, 2022
Very short read - I finished it in a few days. Drawings were not too helpful I thought. Not a lot of info of what to do for autists- a few examples like playing/play type activity. Then she seemed to reference a bunch of other things to look into and a gave very general info on each.
June 17, 2023
Oh wow, what a vile garbage. All worthy ideas are taken from other people, and what's left, is based on someone else's scientifically unproven, quasi-psychology theory. And then the patronizing, othering, infantilizing language. Probably the worst book I've read in a long while
September 8, 2025
Buen libro para aprender y entender el autismo. Me gustó que explica absolutamente cada palabra extraña que pueda ser difícil de comprender. Fomenta la investigación, el compromiso y la empatía.
Merece todas las estrellas que se le puede dar a un libro.
Merece todas las estrellas que se le puede dar a un libro.
Want to read
December 12, 2023Prompt #27 in challenge
June 3, 2016
An easy-to-read and easy-to-understand exposition of the Polyvagal Theory and its relationship to autism.
July 27, 2018
Good explanation in layman’s terms of creating safety for people with ASD!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews